The city of Middletown will host its Independence Day Parade from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Thursday.
The parade will step off from Smith Park, travel to Main Street and left on Central Avenue, and end right before the railroad tracks.
The parade’s theme, “Path to the Future: Middletown Independence Today,” encourages residents to show the community the path they’ve chosen in life, whether that’s college, the military or a trade.
“The idea for that is everyone has a different path in life. Some people go into the military, some people go to college, and other people go right into the workforce. So, we wanted to create a parade where all of those are showcased in some way,” said Jeri Lewis, community projects coordinator for the city of Middletown.
All of those paths will be represented in the parade. Team members from a company may be represented with a float, or a group of teachers might create a float. Local business owners will also highlight their businesses by riding in the parade in a company vehicle with a logo of their business name displayed. Police and fire officials will also be represented. Last year, over 70 individuals, groups and organizations participated in the parade.
“This specific theme is important because it gives our youth something to look forward to, and it gets our kids thinking and talking about their futures, and it’s something positive,” Lewis said.
The city will host a Fourth of July Festival from 4 to 11 p.m. on Wednesday at Smith Park. The event will include a Kid’s Zone with face painting and inflatables, live music, a Flag Jump and a Pyro Jump with Team Fastrax, followed by fireworks at 10 p.m. Finnigan-Denson Incident will perform from 6 to 7:30 p.m., and Noah Wotherspoon Band will headline the event from 8 to 9:30 p.m. The National Anthem Flag Jump by Team Fastrax with Mayor Elizabeth Slamka will begin at 7:30 p.m. There will be a Pyro Jump by Team Fastrax before the fireworks at 9:45 p.m.
Verity Parkway’s Food Truck Court will present Red, White & Food on Wednesday from 4 to 10 p.m. at 323 N. Verity Pkwy. The event will feature food trucks, music, giveaways, a 50/50 raffle and more. Featured food trucks will include Buddy Row’s Eats N Treats, La International, Taqueria El Peje, and De’Lish. There will be outdoor seating with views of Smith Park’s firework display.
The First Friday Ice Cream Social will be held on Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. at White Dog Park, 1357 Central Ave. Ice cream will be provided by Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop. A family event, it will feature an ice cream eating competition, free ice cream tastings, a scavenger hunt, and a DORA Crawl for those ages 21 and over.
Middletown Farmers Market will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, July 7, at 55 S. Broad St. in downtown Middletown. The event is free to attend. Items will be available for purchase. Featuring 26 vendors, Middletown Farmers Market will be selling fresh produce, meat, breads, desserts, honey, jams and jellies, flowers, soaps, pet treats, arts and crafts, and more.
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