New Hope-Lambertville 4th Of July Celebration Starts With A Bang

NEW HOPE, PA — The New Hope-Lambertville Fourth of July celebration started with a bang on Friday as thousands jammed the riverfront on both sides of the Delaware for a 20-minute patriotic fireworks display and drone show.

As the crowd captured the brilliant display above the Delaware River with their cell phones, Mother Nature added her own light show as occasional cloud-to-cloud lightning lit the sky.

A narrator could be heard over a speaker system sharing the harrowing story of Washington Crossing and Coryell's Ferry (New Hope), and their impact on the American Revolution.

Pub Crawl And Concert On The Fourth

Organized by the Greater New Hope Chamber of Commerce and America Celebrates, Inc., the 3-day celebration of the nation's 250th birthday continues on the Fourth of July with a ticketed Pub Crawl from Lambertville to New Hope at 2 p.m., followed by a concert at 4 p.m. in the parking lot of the New Hope American Legion.

(Jeff Werner/Patch)

(Jeff Werner/Patch)

Drones form an image of Gen. George Washington in prayer before battle. (Jeff Werner/Patch)

DJ Wodi will serve as master of ceremonies for the evening, spinning from 4 p.m. as crawl-goers arrive and warming up the crowd ahead of the evening's live sets from 5 to 10 p.m.

Admission to the concert is $10 per person. Food tents and a full bar will be on site.

The concert opens with the Sam Ryan Band fronted by New Hope native Sam Ryan, who tours nationally as lead singer of the three-time Grammy-winning band Blood, Sweat & Tears. "Forever Donna: The Ultimate Donna Summer Tribute" starring Rainere Martin follows, and "Dancing Dream," a New York City-based ABBA tribute band, closes the show.

Freedom Parade On Sunday

The celebration closes on Sunday, July 5, with a Freedom Parade stepping off at 10 a.m. The parade forms at the New Hope American Legion lot, marches north on Main Street, crosses the bridge, and ends at Lambertville Station. Actors in period dress with fife and drum will lead the column, followed by veterans of both American Legion posts, scout troops, the Tri-County Band under the direction of Karen Reavy, and the New Hope Eagle Fire Company’s antique Mack truck engine alongside the Lambertville Fire Department.

At 11:30 a.m., a Relentless Dragon Boat Race launches under the New Hope-Lambertville free bridge. Two crews will be competing on the same river that decided so many of the founding battles. One boat will carry the colors of America. The other will carry the colors of Great Britain.

Mayors and dignitaries will deliver dramatic readings of the Declaration of Independence on platform stages on both shores. At 12 p.m., singers from the Bucks County Playhouse and Music Mountain Theatre will perform “God Bless America” simultaneously, one chorus from each side of the river, while church bells ring in unison across both towns to mark America’s 250th with "One sound, one river, two states."