Communities getting ready for July 4 festivities
By Kirsten Ballard
Published in News on July 1, 2015 1:46 PM
This Fourth of July, you do not have to travel far for a top-flight fireworks show and Independence Day celebration.
Consider heading to Mount Olive for an old-fashioned celebration with watermelon, hot dogs and a pickle train or, if you are a military family, heading to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base to celebrate early on July 2.
In town, spend the day with the family at the park riding the Kiwanis train before watching the show over at Berkeley Mall. The towns of Fremont and Pikeville do not have any celebrations planned.
Morgan Yelverton, a rising junior at the Wayne School of Engineering, plans to spend the Fourth of July watching the fireworks at the mall.
She will start her Saturday volunteering at the Kiwanis train in Herman Park, helping with the reading corner and concessions.
That evening, she will go with her parents to the fireworks.
"It's really fun there," she said.
The Berkeley Mall fireworks are set off at 9 p.m. Local businesses and the parking lot are premier watching spots.
Sport your red, white and blue and grab comfy seats for the show. The display typically lasts 20 minutes.
Nicole Taylor, a student at Wayne School of Engineering, hopes to take in the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base fireworks on Thursday, July 2. She says her current plan is to spend Independence Day on a family friend's farm, setting off smaller, legal fireworks. This way, she gets two fireworks shows.
"It's going to be a lot of fun," she said.
The festivities on base begin at 5 p.m. across from the fitness center. It is going to be a family-friendly evening of games and music by Men With Faces. The band plays covers of "Brown Eyed Girl" and other fan favorites like "Wagon Wheel" and "Proud Mary." There will be a kiddy land with bounce castles, a magic show, novelty booths. Food trucks will provide plenty of options for dining. Plan to bring some cash for food and some of the games.
At 9:15 p.m. the skies light up with an early celebration of freedom. The show lasts between 15 and 20 minutes.
In Mount Olive, music by The Harmony Boys will start at Westbrook Park at 5 p.m. Entertainment, food and bingo are staples of the town's Old-fashioned Fourth of July. For children, games and the Pickletrain will provide rides around the park. These celebrations wind down at 7 p.m., leaving plenty of time to grab bug spray, lawn chairs and blankets and head over to the Mount Olive Municipal Airport.
The town of Mount Olive and Jaycees' fireworks display starts at 9 p.m. It will last between 15 and 20 minutes.
Admission is free.