Drone Show, Patriotic Concert For America's 250th Set In Ocean County

TOMS RIVER, NJ — As America celebrates its 250th birthday, Ocean County is joining in with a pair of free patriotic events around July 4.

The festivities begin Thursday, July 2, with the Stars and Stripes Spectacular Patriotic Concert and Drone Show. The show will be held at the Ocean County Parks Administration Building Bayfront Field, 1198 Bandon Road in Toms River.

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The show begins at 7:30 p.m. with a 25-piece orchestra led by Wilbur Whitman performing patriotic favorites. The concert will be followed by a drone show.

There will be food trucks, games, informational exhibits and a Revolutionary War-themed trailer highlighting the nation's upcoming Semiquincentennial celebration.

Parking for the July 2 event will be available at Cattus Island County Park, 1170 Cattus Island Blvd., with free shuttle service to and from the concert site.

On July 4th, the county will join hundreds of others across the United States in ringing bells to honor the country's birth as part of the National Bell Festival's Ringing from Sea to Shining Sea event.

The goal is to create "a canopy of sound over our nation," the organization said. "This symbolic gesture of ringing bells together celebrates our commitment to community, honors our nation's incredible past, and inspires the next generation of American patriots."

Cathedrals and churches, community organizations and historical structures, national parks and memorials, and people from coast to coast are encouraged to take part, with nationwide ringing starting at 2:50 p.m. Eastern.

The event begins at 1 p.m. on the Ocean County Courthouse lawn and with a public reading of the Declaration of Independence, followed by participation in the nationwide bell-ringing observance.

"Independence Day is a time to reflect on our nation's history, celebrate the freedoms we enjoy and recognize the sacrifices that made those freedoms possible," Ocean County Commissioner Robert S. Arace said.