All Day Fourth of July Fun

Some towns hold Fourth of July fireworks in the evening. Others host daytime celebrations.

But on Monday, July 4 in Collingswood, the fun is nonstop, all day long, from morning to night.

Kicking off the assortment of festivities? Collingswood Junior Women's Club's Annual . At 10 a.m., children are invited to gather in The Knight Park with their bicycles in tow.

All children will arrive with their bikes and trikes fully-decorated for Fourth of July—flashing stars, stripes, spangles and reds, whites and blues along the park's bike route.

Participants will leave with honorary prizes, so kids should bring out their best decorations and a large dose of American spirit.

During the bike race, the not-for-profit organization Proud Neighbors of Collingswood will enter the beginning stages of another July Fourth event, the .

Each year, the organization opens its contest to local homeowners, who implement patriotic themes to decorate their houses.

As children bike through The Knight Park, Proud Neighbors' judges will visit each home and choose a winner. On Monday night, homeowners will gather at the fireworks show, where a winning house will be announced.

At 2 p.m. Monday, will fill the gap between the morning race and the evening fireworks show.

At the local pool, families are invited to partake in hours of Fourth of July games and activities. Raft races in the pool, patriotic water games, watermelon activities and traditional coin tosses will be staged, leading up to the day's most-anticipated event.

The fireworks show.

At 6:30 p.m., locals and visitors will begin filtering into Athletic Field and setting up blankets and chairs in .

Free to enter, the event will start at 8 p.m., with performances from musical ensemble All About Me.

Comprised of the region's most talented composers and musicians, the band will play a mix of popular modern tunes and classic patriotic melodies.

But like every Fourth of July in Collingswood, the true witching hour doesn't begin until the clock strikes 9:15 p.m. The fireworks show.

For more than 50 years, tens of thousands of people have anxiously waited for that first firework to splay shards of vibrant color across the night sky.

And this year, borough officials said the fireworks show will be better than ever.

"It'll be the greatest fireworks display we've ever had," said Mayor James Maley. "Each year, anywhere from 15,000 to 20,000 people bring out their blankets and chairs for the show.

"Just after dark, the fireworks start," he said. "It's a pretty spectacular show. Part of what makes it so good is the location. The fireworks are shot off from a certain spot, so that they explode directly above the crowd. You're literally sitting underneath the fireworks."

Collingswood Fire Chief John Amet and Borough Administrator Bradford Stokes have been organizing the fireworks display for years.

Stokes said he's been involved as a hands-on part of the event for at least 15 years.

Stokes said the 25- to 30-minute show takes about eight to 10 hours to set up, and fireworks crews begin the process in the early morning hours of July 4.

According to borough reports, this year's four-segment Fourth of July show will ignite a total of 4,860 individual fireworks.

"There are some really cool effects in our show," said Stokes. "People are literally blown away by the finale."

All Fourth of July events will be held Monday, rain or shine, except the fireworks display. In the event of rain, fireworks will be rescheduled for Friday, July 8. Spectators should bring blankets and chairs to watch the display.