Montclair Gets Patriotic: Celebrity National Anthems, Fireworks

MONTCLAIR, NJ — A recent ranking list named New Jersey as the second-least patriotic place in the United States. But don’t bring that noise to Montclair, where a robust and diverse Independence Day celebration took place in 2018.

The township’s annual fireworks display took place at Yogi Berra Stadium on Montclair State University campus. (See video below)

This year, the 150th incarnation of Montclair’s annual July 4th parade kicked off on Bloomfield Avenue and ended in Edgemont Park, the site of the annual township picnic. The 2018 parade included performances by the Fralinger String Band of the Philadelphia Mummers, the Lesbian & Gay Big Apple Corps, St. Columcille United Gaelic Pipe Band, Essex and Union County Marching Band, Wayne Raiders Drum & Bugle Corps.

And yes – as in years past – Montclair’s resident Elvis impersonator was on the scene. (See photos and video from the parade below)

Earlier this year, several high-profile Montclair residents thrilled sports fans with their renditions of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Appearing at Madison Square Garden before the Knicks vs. Timberwolves game on March 23, jazz legend Christian McBride - a longtime champion of the Montclair Jazz Fest and Jazz House Kids – performed a stunningly funky version of the national anthem.

And last month, Montclair’s Stephen Colbert and Patrick Wilson – both ardent supporters of the annual Montclair Film Festival – turned out a surprisingly stirring rendition of the tune at the start of the Mets vs. Yankees game at Citi Field.

Catch up with some footage and photos from Montclair's 2018 Independence Day parade and fireworks events below. Don’t forget to visit the Patch Montclair Facebook page here.

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Photo: YouTube / Best NUSA