You would’ve thought Dundalk might have been a bit exhausted after three days of the Heritage Fair, an early morning 6K Monday and the big Fourth of July parade. Not at all.

One of the great things about the annual Fourth of July fireworks display in Dundalk is all the peripheral activity in the sky. Over the years, the neighborhood displays have become more elaborate and amateur fireworks were flying all over yesterday afternoon and evening.

The Fourth of July weekend, a continuous four-day celebration this year, finally came to a close Monday night with a fireworks at the North Point Government Center. Highlights of the fair this year included exciting performances from The Guess Who on Saturday and Eddie Money on Sunday night.

Even the threat of rain could not keep people away or dampen the mood before the fireworks show.

“I have my umbrella, but I think we’ll be fine”, said Kathryn Kates of Dundalk.

The parade in the morning blended into an afternoon cookout for many Dundalkians, which then led into the fireworks. Even for newcomers.

“I moved in late March, so I just got here,” said Tracy Outlaw, experiencing her first local fireworks. “I went to the fair and went to the parade today.”

Dundalk is a town that takes pride in its patriotic spirit. The fair, the parade and the fireworks give the area a chance to show how a celebration should be done. It’s annually one of, if not the biggest, celebrations in Maryland.

And year’s edition of the Heritage Fair was the largest ever, according to Eric Davis, a member of the Heritage Fair board of directors.

“We had over 25,000 people come through the gates this year,” Davis said. “We sold more beer than any other fair. We had to order more for Sunday.”

David was only at his third fireworks in the 21 years he’s been involved with the fair.

“I’m attached to the fair on the board of directors and electrical crew so I can’t come over all the time,” Davis said. He added, “Jimmy Rutter is our pyro-technician. He and Kenny Lambroni make sure everything goes as planned.”

It wasn’t just folks from Dundalk taking in the festivities last night.

“We’ve come for probably the last 15 years here,” said Kevin Clark from Parkville at the North Point Government Center, acknowledging the holiday’s special birthday in Dundalk. “We also go to the fair.”

If you weren’t here to experience it this year – plan for it next year!