Cape Region to celebrate July 4 holiday

The Fourth to offer fireworks, kids games, boat parade and more

Rehoboth Beach successfully held its fireworks last year. The Rehoboth Beach Bandstand gets the love with pyrotechnics in the background. CHRIS FLOOD PHOTO

Cape Gazette staff

June 29, 2022

Capt. Brian Hankin and the crew of Happy Our’s took the grand prize at the 2021 boat parade. NICK ROTH PHOTO

Charlene Jones, owner of Irish Eyes, leads the bike parade to the Milton Memorial Park pavilion in 2019, the last time Milton held its July 4 celebration. RYAN MAVITY PHOTO

Folks sitting in Canalfront Park had a great view of last year’s fireworks show in Lewes. NICK ROTH PHOTO

An abundance of Independence Day celebrations are taking place along Delaware’s coastline. Here’s what’s on tap in the region.

Dewey Beach

Fireworks will light the sky over Rehoboth Bay to celebrate Independence Day in Dewey Beach Monday, July 4.

Highway One has sponsored the annual fireworks display since 2013, said company President Alex Pires. The display will launch from a barge in the bay in front of Northbeach/Ivy, two blocks from the Rusty Rudder, and will be visible throughout town. Delaware Chief Deputy State Fire Marshal John Galaska said the show will begin about 9:30 p.m.

Lewes

Fourth of July in Lewes will offer a bevy of fun and games for all ages, starting with the Old-Fashioned Children’s Games at 9 a.m. on Second Street. An Independence Day Boat Parade will start at 1:30 p.m., with judging at Fisherman’s Wharf.

The Annual Doo-Dah Parade will step off in the vicinity of Lloyd's Market at 5 p.m., and the Go Fourth fireworks celebration will blast off at dusk from a barge off Lewes Beach. Contact 645-8073 or go to leweschamber.com or gofourthlewes.org for more information.

Go Fourth fireworks organizers encourage attendees to arrive early to find parking. There will be no parking along Savannah Road and Cape Henlopen Drive.

Bridges to Lewes Beach will be closed to eastbound traffic for safety and traffic control. Pedestrians, bicycles and outbound/westbound traffic will be able to use the bridge. The Savannah Road bridge will close to vehicular traffic at 7 p.m. The Freeman Highway bridge will close to vehicular traffic at 8 p.m. Lewes Beach residents wishing to use the bridge after 7 p.m. should utilize Freeman Highway. No one will be permitted to watch the fireworks from the bridge.

Vehicles will be held for at least a half-hour following the fireworks show to allow pedestrians and cyclists to leave.

The Lewes Line will cease operations at 7 p.m.

For more information or to donate toward next year’s show, go to gofourthlewes.org.

Millsboro

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Millsboro will host the annual Children’s Parade at 11:30 a.m., Monday, July 4. Children - and dogs - of all ages will don their brightest red, white and blue to parade around the church labyrinth to celebrate the nation’s birthday.

Milton

The Milton Chamber of Commerce will host the annual July 4th festival known as Bring Mayberry Back to Milton in Milton Memorial Park from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday, July 4.

This festival is free for all to attend and will feature entertainment, food, games, dunk tanks, water balloon fights, pie-eating contests, train rides, and more! A highlight of festivals past, the Bike Decorating Contest and Parade, will also be back this year thanks to festival founders and sponsors Irish Eyes Restaurant & Pub.

For event updates, go to historicmilton.com/event/bring-mayberry-back-to-milton-memorial-park-downtown-milton.

Rehoboth Beach

The annual July 4 fireworks in Rehoboth Beach are set to go off around 9:30 p.m., Sunday, July 3. Due to lingering beach impacts from the Mother’s Day weekend nor’easter, the display will be launched on the beach between Philadelphia and Hickman streets, which is slightly farther south than the normal Brooklyn Avenue location. The Funsters are set to kick off the event at 8 p.m. with a performance at the Bandstand.

Several road closures will be implemented to facilitate entry into and exit from Rehoboth Beach:

Beginning at 6 p.m., the Bandstand area will be closed to vehicular traffic until midnight, and only bus traffic and residents will be permitted on Henlopen and Surf avenues.
After 7 p.m., vehicles will not be able to cross Rehoboth Avenue at the traffic circle.
Beginning at 8:30 p.m., Rehoboth Avenue eastbound and Church Street from Route 1 will be closed to vehicular traffic. At that point, all vehicles entering Rehoboth Beach will have to do so using State Road to Bayard Avenue.
Beginning at 8:30 p.m., residents on Henlopen Avenue, in Henlopen Acres and North Shores must access their residences using Second Street.
After the fireworks, vehicles north of Rehoboth Avenue will be directed to exit using Rehoboth and Columbia avenues. Vehicles on the south side of Rehoboth Avenue will use Bayard Avenue to Route 1 southbound only, or Hickman or Munson streets to State Road to Route 1 north- and southbound.

DART and Jolly Trolley will provide service into Rehoboth Beach on revised schedules/routes the evening of July 3.