Calendar Highlight – Fourth of July Weekend

Independence Day is more often referred to as the Fourth of July. But how much does the exact date really matter? Sure, Congress passed the Declaration of Independence on the fourth in 1776, but there were certainly other monumental events on the days preceding – legal separation of the colonies from Great Britain occurred on the second, for example – so I suppose it’s no big deal that Somerville’s Fourth of July Celebration is actually on the first.

If you’re a Somervillian looking to celebrate, be prepared this Thursday. The festivities kick off at 6pm with the Somerville Sunsetters, a traveling youth performance troupe, followed by Boston-based disco-funk band Booty Vortex. The USO Metropolitan New York Performers are next on the lineup at 7:30pm. Last, in honor of Navy Week, is the Navy Band Northeast Pops Ensemble at 8:30pm. And it isn’t Fourth of July (or, um, the first of July) without the sparkling, exploding, big-bang finale fireworks display, beginning at approximately 9:15pm.

But with all that action on the first, what to do on the actual fourth? A good old-fashioned all-American barbecue or picnic is a solid Fourth of July standby. If that’s your plan, I suggest stopping by the Union Square Farmers’ Market on Saturday from 12pm-6pm to pick up fresh supplies for Sunday: strawberries for shortcake, corn on the cob, or some of Iggy’s fresh bread for extra-delicious picnic sandwiches. For more information and a list of market vendors, visit the Farmers’ Market page on the Union Square Main Streets website.

For a complete calendar of all Somerville summer happenings be sure to click on the calendar tab. We’ll also be updating the blog regularly with detailed event highlights, so be sure to check back!