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By Hometown Weekly Staff & Correspondents
Perfect weather, tantalizing smells from the grill, friends and family were par for the course for this year's area July 4 celebrations. From Needham - boasting one of the nation's oldest Independence Day celebrations - to Walpole, where one of the native cognoscenti gushed about the town's "biggest day of the year," it was a weekend to remember.
If the the Battle of Lexington and Concord (which is recognized as the first battle of the American Revolutionary War) had the “Shot Heard ’Round the World,” the Needham fireworks should be the “Shots Heard ’Round Norfolk County” as people flocked to Memorial Park from the surrounding towns, including but not limited to Medfield, Dover, and Wellesley. One local family had friends from Rhode Island visiting.
During the firework show, people chatted away. “Those were big ones.”
“I like the ones that—you know,” with some hand gestures unseen in the dark.
One irreverent child yelled “Thanks, China.”
“Why China?” asked an incredulous adult.
“Gunpowder,” came the reply.
After the show ended, Hannah Clifford, 22, of Needham said “They literally get bigger and better every year.” Clifford’s been coming to the Needham Fireworks since she was one. “I’ve seen other fireworks, and nothing compares to Needham’s,” she adds. “There’s a nostalgia to it, since I’ve come here since I was a baby. I love seeing young families coming and keeping the tradition alive.”
Meanwhile, patriotism was in the air on Independence Day as the Westwood Recreation summer camp program hosted its annual Independence Day parade.
Campers from all ages who attend Westwood Recreation’s day camps over the summer attended the parade, which ran in the late morning at Westwood High School. Campers donned in patriotic attire marched from the back of Westwood High School to the Westwood Senior Center and back to the high school again.
Before the parade, the campers helped prepare by creating patriotic decorations, posters, flags and banners to march with in the parade. Campers were also encouraged to dress up in patriotic attire for the parade. Led by Uncle Sam on a golf cart, the annual parade proved to be a fun and enjoyable event on a perfect Independence Day on Monday.
The parade is an annual tradition for the Westwood Recreation camp program, and has been held for about the past 17 years. Every year, the parade is attended by every kid in Westwood’s camp programs, from ages 3-14.
Just down the road, Walpole rang in Independence Day with its annual Night Before the Fourth celebrations on July 3.
The day and night of early Independence Day celebrations kicked off with the popular fire truck parade though downtown Walpole. The parade featured emergency vehicles and fire trucks from both Walpole and a number of surrounding towns. From fire trucks in active service to historic fire trucks of days past, the event proved to be a fun start to the festivities.
After the parade, the band The Infractions provided entertainment as people gathered at the Walpole Fire Station for food, drinks and other refreshments. As the evening went on, the crows began to build at Stone Field and all around downtown Walpole as people gathered to find the best spot to enjoy the annual fireworks show.
Finally, the moment everyone was waiting for: at 9:30 p.m., the fireworks show began. Atlas Pyrotechnics provided a loud and colorful fireworks show that lit up the night sky. The fireworks show closed out yet another successful Night Before the Fourth celebration, which has been a Walpole tradition for years.
Wherever one wandered in Norfolk County during Independence Day weekend, it seemed that smiling faces were never far. With America's 240th birthday properly celebrated, the area’s citizens turned their gazes to the rest of the summer - and, of course, to thoughts of next year’s 241st American birthday bash.
