Patriotic Tunes, Brilliant Fireworks Welcome The Fourth In Tinicum

TINICUM TOWNSHIP, PA — The Fourth of July weekend started with a bang on Saturday night with a Concert Under the Stars and a brilliant fireworks display above Tinicum Park.

Hundreds gathered on the grassy lawn for a picnic supper before being treated to an Independence Day weekend performance by the Riverside Symphonia under the direction of Mariusz Smolij. Considered one of the most exciting conductors of his generation, Smolij has directed the Symphonia for 30 years.

As darkness descended, favorite tunes from “The Sound of Music” by Rogers and Hammerstein filled the evening air.

Rogers and Hammerstein penned many of Broadway’s greatest hit musicals right here in Bucks County at Hammerstein's Doylestown farm, including "South Pacific," "The Sound of Music," and "Oklahoma!"

The concert continued with “A Salute to The Big Apple” with themes from "On the Town" and the hit Broadway musical "42nd Street," and, of course, the "Lullaby of Broadway" from the 1951 movie starring Doris Day.

The concert also included a Tribute to Louis Armstrong, a Salute to Cole Porter, Summer Skies, Serenata, and a moving rendition of "Amazing Grace."

The concert reached a crescendo with a patriotic musical celebration featuring America the Beautiful, a Salute to the Armed Forces, and a grand finale performance of the 1812 Overture, a Fourth of July concert tradition begun by the Boston Pops.

As the band performed, brilliant fireworks lit up the sky in a dazzling display of color and sound.

For 20 minutes, brilliant streams of light shot high into the night sky raining steams of color down from the heavens as loud bangs and flashes of lights punctuated the musical performance.

The special evening was sponsored by the Thompson Organization with funding made possible by a grant from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. The National Anthem was performed by Riley Bultemeier.

(Photos by Jeff Werner)