Community Corner

Head to North Branch Monday for County's 41st Annual July 4 Fireworks

Events set to kick off at 5 p.m. for planned countywide Independence Day Family Festival.

Residents from across Somerset County are again invited by the park commission to celebrate the Fourth of July at Somerset County’s biggest party, the 41st Annual Independence Day Family Festival, to begin at 5 p.m., Monday, July 4, at North Branch Park in Bridgewater.

Admission is free to the festival at the park, located on Milltown Road. Musical performances by Verdict and Total Soul, along with other performers and historic reenactments, will be followed by fireworks, according to information from the Somerset County Park Commission.

The park commission's planned evening of patriotism, music, and family entertainment also will include food and a variety of children's games and activities, according to Rich Reitman, park commission. The historic presentations to portray the birth of a nation will include a reenactment of a Revolutionary War encampment by the Third New Jersey Regiment Revolutionary Encampment, he said.

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Planned stage performances will provide a range of American music styles for the enjoyment of children and adults alike, according to the park commssion. Verdict will kick off the Independence Day entertainment, turning the North Branch Park into a tropical vacation setting with a rich blend of classic reggae, calypso, soca, and funk island music, Reitman said.

Total Soul, an 11-piece band, will follow with a performance mixing rhythym and blues, soul and Motown hits from the 60’s through today, Reitman said. The band offers a mix of four-part vocal harmony, a soul-driven rhythm section, and “hot” horns, he said.

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Reitman said the fireworks display planned at 9:30 p.m. is the most spectacular in Central Jersey. In the event of inclement weather, the fireworks only will be presented on July 5 or the first clear evening at 9:30 p.m., according to the park commission.

Parking will be onsite, unless heavy rains make the fields too soft for parking, Reitman said.

Corporate sponsorship is provided by Courier News, Ethicon and WMGQ. 

For further information, call the Somerset County Park Commission at 908-722-1200, ext. 221, or the concert/activity hotline at ext. 2. Individuals with a hearing or speech impairment may call the NJ Relay service at 711.Information on this and all other Somerset County Park Commission activities may be found online. 


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