Independence Day celebrations

Our nation’s birthday is upon us, and everyone is ready to celebrate! The pyrotechnics always dazzle, even though they will be missed once again at Jones Beach this year. Still, July Fourth celebrants have plenty of places to see fireworks and share in the spirit of Independence Day, extending through next week.

Celebrate America at Eisenhower Park
Eisenhower Park, for a second year, serves as the main venue for the countywide celebration. Many thousands are expected to visit the park on Saturday, July 2, to see the skies light up in what is the park’s eighth annual display of sparkling fireworks.
TD Bank once again sponsors “Celebrate America,” a spectacular show at the Harry Chapin Lakeside Theatre, begining at dusk. The fireworks, put together by the world-famous Grucci family, are part of a special night in the park that includes a performance by Slippery When Wet, a Bon Jovi tribute band.

Theatre area gates will open at 5:30 p.m., with a pre-show beginning at 5:40 p.m. The musical performance begins at 7 p.m. and the fireworks start at 9:30 p.m. Tickets are required for admission to the theatre area; the free tickets will be available at any TD Bank on Long Island, while supplies last. There is no formal seating; visitors should bring blankets or chairs. Space is limited and overflow will be directed to other viewing and parking areas.
The Harry Chapin Lakeside Theatre is located near parking fields 6 and 6A, Eisenhower Park, East Meadow. For information, contact (516) 572-0200 or the Special Events Line at (516) 572-0223.

Fireworks at Valley Stream’s Fireman’s Field
Fireman’s Field in Valley Stream is another venue that always draws a large crowd for a July Fourth extravanganza. There, the Valley Stream Chamber of Commerce and the Incorporated Village of Valley Stream host the 22nd annual Fourth of July Fireworks Show, on Monday. The rain date is July 5.
With over 25,000 people who attend annually, this is considered to be one of the largest fireworks displays in the area, according to Valley Stream Chamber of Commerce officials. Visitors will be treated to a gloriously patriotic display of pyrotechnics, with a concert by Powerglide. Lost in Forever and the School of Singing before the light show.
Tickets, which sell out quickly, remain $5. They are available at the Hendrickson Pool facility and Valley Stream Administration Building, the Waldinger Memorial Library, Village Hall, and also at Collision Concepts on Rockaway Ave. (corner of Sunrise Hwy.) The gates open at 6:30 p.m. Free parking, with transportation to Fireman’s Field, is available at the Hendrickson Pool Parking Lot. Enter at Emerson Pl. or Albermarle Ave. entrances to Fireman’s Field, Valley Stream.

Go Fourth on the Bay
Venture out to Captree State Park for some spectacular fireworks, produced by the Grucci family, off the picturesque Great South Bay, on Monday. Watch from the shore, the boats out of Captree State Park, Davis Park, Fire Island, or your own boat.
Captree State Park is located on Ocean Dr. (exit 40) off the Robert Moses Causeway. For more information, call (631) 321-3510 or visit www.captreefleet.com/pages/newfireworks.htm.

Red, White and Blue Fourth
Independence Day was certainly an important holiday for President Theodore Roosevelt who would speak at the festivities in Oyster Bay and then gather with his extended family and friends at Sagamore Hill for a day of celebration. Cousins and friends enjoyed the day participating in flag-waving outdoor activities for all.
Bring the family to celebrate the holiday in the Roosevelt tradition, at the former presidential residence, on Monday, sponsored by The Friends of Sagamore Hill.
The day features guided tours of President Roosevelt’s home and walks throughout the estate’s grounds, with National Park Service rangers. Guests can explore the grounds and beaches of Sagamore Hill on a guided nature walk and learn about the connection between Presidents and National Parks during a ranger talk. among the many activities. And, of course, President Roosevelt, portrayed by James Foote, will be at his home to welcome visitors throughout the day.
Other highlights include an equestrian demonstration by “Rough Rider” re-enactors, along with an opportunity to join in on one of TR’s favorite activities, an Obstacle Walk, where the only rule is that when you meet an obstacle along the way you must go under, over or through the obstacle, but never around.
The kids will enjoy taking part in an interactive story about famous American heroes,
performed by storyteller Jonathan Kruk, and playing old-fashioned children’s games as the Roosevelt children did, along with making patriotic crafts to celebrate the day.
A band concert, at 2 p.m. with the Sagamore Hill Band, features rousing music of President’s Roosevelt’s time, with speeches by local dignitaries, and an appearance by the President himself. Seating is on the lawn, so visitors are encourage to bring blanket or a lawn chair.
Sagamore Hill is located at Sagamore Hill Rd. in Oyster Bay. For further information, call (516) 922-4788 or visit www.nps.gov/sahi.

Old Fashioned Fourth of July
While fireworks receive most of the attention during July Fourth festivities, there’s more to an Independence Day celebration than the pyrotechnics. For those want something else besides the light show, try enjoying the holiday the way 19th century Long Islanders did. Instead of fireworks think musket fire and substitute a picnic with old-fashioned fiddle music, instead of holiday barbecues blasting the popular sounds of today.
Step back in time to the 1860s, on Monday, at Old Bethpage Village Restoration, at a rousing Fourth of July celebration as it would have been commemorated during the Civil War.
The day marks the departure of local Union soldiers from Long Island and the nation’s 85th anniversary with a traditional Independence Day parade (at 2 p.m.) with a marching band, the departing soldiers and village residents. Then, the soldiers will drill and fire a patriotic salute (at 3 p.m.), followed by a performance of historical musical selections by the Old Bethpage Village Brass Band. There will also be patriotic speeches, musket firing and children’s games.
Guests are invited to bring their own picnic lunches to the “Victory Parade” behind the Noon Inn, where the sounds of old-fashioned fiddle music can be heard from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Originally located in East Meadow and built in 1850, the Noon Inn is a standard two-story center-hall home, of modified Georgian style, with a barroom.
Enjoy this visit to an earlier era, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Admission: $10, $7 children 5-12 and seniors. Old Bethpage Village Restoration is located on Round Swamp Rd., Old Bethpage. For more information, contact (516) 572-8400.

Fireworks Extravaganza in Long Beach
The city of Long Beach honors Independence Day next Friday, July 8, with its annual beach party, highlighted by a colorful fireworks display. The festivities begin, at 8 p.m., with a concert by T’Bazco Road. The band gets the celebration started with its New Orleans-style blend of blues, honky-tonk piano and funky rhythms on the beach between Long Beach Blvd. and Riverside Blvd.
The fireworks begin at 9 p.m. from a barge off the Long Beach shoreline. Visitors can sit on the beach to watch the show, or view the lights from any point along the 2.2 mile boardwalk. City officials urge everyone to arrive early and use public transportation as parking will be limited. Free shuttle buses will be available every 15 minutes, beginning at 7 p.m., from the west and east ends to Risverside Blvd. for the show.
For further information, visit www.longbeachny.org or call the events hotline at (516) 431-1000 ext. 4. The raindate is July 9.

Rockville Centre Holiday Celebration
The Village of Rockville Centre celebrates its anniversary with its annual fireworks display on Saturday, July 9 , in Centennial Park near Mill River. The festivities once again feature a performance by the South Shore Symphony, under the direction of guest conductor Teresa Cheung, along with the Leggz Ltd. Dancers, (7:45 p.m.).
New this year is something usually found at bigger fireworks shows: after the symphony stops playing and the stage goes dark, a new sound system with speakers on both sides of Mill River will broadcast a recording of previous South Shore Symphony performances to which Grucci will choreograph its pyrotechnic display.