West Orange July 4 Activities

West Orange will celebrate Independence Day with a touch of the old and a touch of the new. The most significant change is the expansion of the holiday from a one-day celebration to a two-day affair.

The action will begin Saturday, July 3. The first annual Downtown Blues Festival is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. at Colgate Park. The concert is being co-sponsored by the West Orange Recreation Department and the Downtown Alliance. Food will be available at the Taste of Downtown Food Court, which will offer delicious food at reasonable prices prepared by various downtown restaurants. The Skinner-Dunn Horseshoe tournament, a tradition at Colgate Park, will begin at 6:45 p.m. At 10 p.m. the featured musical acts from the festival will retire to select Downtown pubs where the party will continue into the night.

On Sunday, July 4, all the action will shift to West Orange High School. The 76th Annual Lefty Boland Track & Fun Meet will move into their new digs on Lincoln Field at West Orange High School. The meet is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. Moon walks, sack races, balloon toss, eating contests, pony rides, golf contests, Kidz Zone and much more have been added to the traditional distance and relay races. The 9th Annual Classic DeSoto Car Display will be held concurrently. The cars will be on display on the grounds of West Orange High School adjacent to Lincoln Field.

The West Orange Rotary has expanded the menu at their snack bar to include traditional July 4 picnic items such as hamburgers, hot dogs and BBQ chicken. Full meal options, as well as snacks, will be available all day. The Rotary reinvests all their proceeds back into the community via college scholarships and other ventures.

Musical entertainment will begin at 7:30 p.m. and a live band will perform for the crowd at the nearby baseball field. Working throughout the audience will be face painters, balloon clowns and jugglers. There also will be a moonwalk and a giant slide. At dusk the crowd will be treated to one of the area's finest firework displays.

"Our fireworks for the past two years have been nothing short of inspiring", said Bill Kehoe, the township's recreation director. "Residents can expect the same high quality presentation this year." The best firework viewing is on the artificial turf baseball field and on the grass lot in front of the new gymnasium. No chairs, gum, glass bottles or smoking is allowed on the turf.

In the case of inclement weather, updated information will be posted on the Weather Hotline at (973) 243-1115. Tentative rain dates are as follows: Downtown Blues Festival, Friday, July 9. July 4 festivities, Monday, July 5.

Township offices will be closed Monday.