4th of July: Dundalk Celebrates With Parade, Fireworks

The 37th annual Heritage Fair, Dundalk's three-day celebration of America, finished its run on July 1.

But there's still plenty of Fourth of July fun to be had in Dundalk.

While fair volunteers are catching up on some much-deserved rest, Independence Day parade and fireworks volunteers are gearing up for their big moments.

The 78th annual 4th of July parade, with the theme of "Welcome Home Our Troops," will kick off at about 8:15 a.m. Wednesday from the Logan Village Shopping Center parking lot.

The prcession will travel north on Dundalk Avenue, east on Belclare Road, north on Liberty Parkway, west on Dunglow Road, west on Dunmanway, north on Shipping Place, east on Shipway, north on Admiral Boulevard, south on Liberty Parkway and end at Dunmanway, according to the Heritage Fair website.

The parade will include current and antique firefighting equipment, bands, youth and community groups, school and college groups, clowns, elected leaders and bands.

The fireworks display will begin at about 9:15 p.m. from the grounds of Grange Elementary School and the North Point Government Center (Wise Avenue and Merritt Boulevard).

The colorful display can be viewed from a variety of places, including Grange and the government center properties, nearby shopping center parking lots and the Community College of Baltimore County's Dundalk campus.

The fireworks and parade are financed by the Dundalk Heritage Association.

The parade is organized by the Dundalk Heritage Parade Committee and the Optimist Club of Dundalk.

The fireworks are organized and designed by a separate committee headed by a licensed pyrotechnician.

"We give them a budget each year," Dundalk Heritage Association Vice President Bob Fogle said of the parade and fireworks groups. "And whatever they do is fine with us."