SAXTONS RIVER — This Fourth of July, the Saxtons River Community is coming together around the theme, “Let's Build a Fire Station,” to promote the creation of a new village fire station.
The annual Fourth of July festivities start at 8:30 a.m. with the Firecracker 5K Road race, sponsored by the Walpole Savings Bank and Village Square Booksellers. Registration for the 5K begins at 7:30 a.m. at the bandstand on Main Street.
After the race, entries for the annual pie contest are due at the Saxtons River Inn by 9 a.m., and the parade lineup begins on Shepard Lane, for a kick-off time of 9:30 a.m.
The parade will be led by Grand Marshals Betsy and Sheldon Beebe, in honor of their son, Justin Beebe, a local firefighter who tragically lost his life in August 2016 fighting a forest fire at Great Basin National Park in Nevada.
The American Legion Post 37 Color Guard will join the Beebes at the head of the parade, to be followed by various floats, vintage cars, tractors, music, and performers.
There is still time to register a float for the parade by contacting [email protected] with a description of the float. After the parade, which will be wrapped up by an impressive number of fire trucks, the celebration will move to Main Street.
Throughout the morning and afternoon, various activities and vendors will be open on Main Street. Games including egg toss, a Hula Hoop contest, mini golf, firehose water polo, and a new contest, musical chairs, will be featured.
Concessions will be available, as well as goods from local vendors and a 50/50 raffle to cover the cost of the fireworks. Fourth of July T-shirts designed by local artist Ezra Veitch will be for sale.
The bandstand will host the awards ceremony for the 5K, parade entries, and pie contest, to be followed by live music.
The Saxtons River Historical Society will be open to visitors from 10:30 a.m. to noon.
The festivities downtown will wrap up in the late afternoon, and beginning at 5:30 p.m. the Saxtons River Rec will host swimming, pickup ball games, concessions, and live music. At 9:30 p.m., the day will conclude with a spectacular fireworks display.