TEAM VILLAGE CREEMEE Stand powers through last year’s Great Bristol Outhouse Race.
Addison Independent photo/Steve James
The Fourth of July is upon us, and there are so many ways to celebrate locally.
Brandon celebrates early, with a full day of festivities — parade, Little Debbie Swiss Roll-Eating Contest, rubber ducky race, street dance, and fireworks — this Saturday, July 1.
That same night, local entomologist Greg Pask is hosting a different kind of family-friendly firework show in Cornwall, which he’s calling Nature’s Own Fireworks, Fireflies.
On Monday, July 3, at 6 p.m., head to the Bristol Rec Fields for music, games, fair food and fireworks at dusk. Or grab a spot on the athletic fields outside Vergennes Union High School to see fireworks there.
The next day, July 4, competitors in the Great Bristol Outhouse Race take off at 9 a.m. The town green will be buzzing with vendors and activities, and the Bristol parade starts at 10:30 a.m. (Get there early to avoid traffic.)
Salisbury celebrates Independence Day on Tuesday with its 48th annual ice cream social on the lawn and under the tent, rain or shine.
Want to try something new? Warren’s quirky July 4th parade is legendary. And the Burlington Waterfront fireworks show on July 3 is spectacular.
For a different perspective on Independence Day, two free events in Ferrisburgh on Wednesday, July 5, will honor the legacy of Frederick Douglass. At 11 a.m., Union Meeting Hall will host a morning reflection about the legacy of Douglass and his historic visit to Ferrisburgh in 1843. Rokeby Museum staff will lead a history talk and community reflection activity on the site where Douglass spoke. The Friends of Union Meeting Hall will speak about the legacy of the two town buildings, and Union Meeting Hall will be open for touring.
At 1 p.m., Rokeby Museum will hold its annual reading of Douglass’ 1852 speech “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July.” Rokeby will provide sections of the speech, and community members are asked to join the reading. Douglass gave this speech at an Independence Day celebration in Rochester, N.Y., on July 5, 1852. The event commemorated the signing of the Declaration of Independence, but in his speech, Douglass reminded the crowd that not all people celebrated freedom on the Fourth of July. He said, “The blessing in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common.”