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Lewes to celebrate July 4th with games, parades

Fireworks go off at dusk
June 16, 2019

The City of Lewes continues its long tradition of hosting old-fashioned games for children on Second Street beginning at 9 a.m., Thursday, July 4.  For the safety of the participants, Second Street will be closed while the games are in progress and will reopen at their conclusion. Following the games, the Lewes Independence Day Boat Parade will wind its way down the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal from Roosevelt Inlet to Fisherman’s Wharf, as part of the City of Lewes’ Fourth of July holiday festivities.

The parade entrants leave from Roosevelt Inlet across from the Coast Guard Station at 1:30 p.m., and at approximately 2 p.m., they pass in front of the judges’ reviewing stand  at Fisherman’s Wharf and turn before reaching the Savannah Road drawbridge. Lewes Mayor Ted Becker will announce the parade with amplification in the area of Fisherman’s Wharf and the city dock.

The boat arade judges are members of Lewes City Council, Lightship Overfalls Foundation President Albert Didden and Lewes-Rehoboth Rotary Club President Jason Bentley. This is the 16th year that the Overfalls Foundation has co-hosted the Independence Day Boat Parade and the second year of the collaboration with the Rotary Club. This year’s parade is sponsored by the Freedom Boat Club of Delaware.

All preregistered boat entrants will be eligible for prizes that include a Grand Prize trophy.  First-, second- and third-place ribbons will also be awarded. Boats will be judged on the best use of patriotic decorations. At the conclusion of the parade, all boat entrants are invited to attend the Awards Ceremony on the deck of the Lightship Overfalls at 3:30 p.m.  To be eligible for a prize, the vessel must be registered no later than noon, Wednesday, July 3.  Registration forms are available at the Lewes Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center in the Fisher-Martin House in Zwaanendael Park and the Lewes Harbour Marina Bait and Tackle at the end of Anglers Road. 

For more information, call the Lewes Chamber of Commerce at 302-645-8073. Late, unregistered entries are invited to join the parade by arriving at Roosevelt Inlet at 1:30 p.m. There is no charge to participate in the boat parade or to be a spectator. Good viewing spots line the canal on both sides and go on a first-come basis.

The fun continues with the unique and quirky Doo-Dah Parade that forms in the vicinity of Lloyd’s Market on Savannah Road, winds its way down Kings Highway to Second Street and ends on Savannah Road, heading back toward Lloyd’s. No preregistration is required and everyone is invited to participate. The time the parade kicks off is always unpredictable but that’s what makes this iconic Lewes July 4 tradition so entertaining.  

Finally, the day caps off with the second annual, fully sanctioned fireworks that will be launched from a barge off Lewes Beach at dusk.

The fireworks are funded by donations from the Lewes-area business community, local residents and out-of-town donors. The Go Fourth Committee was formed with Chairman Russ Palmer leading the group of volunteers who have been meeting to coordinate the fundraising, promotion and logistics, and stage the event which is open to the public. The best visibility is from Roosevelt Inlet to the Cape May-Lewes Ferry terminal.

Information about the event is on www.GoFourthLewes.org. with links from the City of Lewes, www.ci.lewes.de.us, or the Lewes Chamber of Commerce, www.LewesChamber.com.

 

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