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Fireworks, Declaration of Independence readings highlight Fourth of July in Newport County
There are plenty of ways to celebrate the Fourth of July from cookouts to hitting the beach and so much more, but across Newport County you can bookend the day with that patriotic feeling.
Options exist to start your day by harkening back to revolutionary times with readings of the Declaration of Independence and once the sun sets of course there are fireworks to enjoy. Some events also continue through the long-weekend to keep the celebration going.
We've rounded up the events taking place this holiday to get you in the spirit and go beyond the hot dogs and hamburgers.
Weather permitting, this year's display in Newport is scheduled to light up the harbor beginning at approximately 9:15 p.m. on Friday, July 4, with a rain date slated for the following day on July 5.
With the Fourth of July falling on a Friday this year, Newport is expected to be especially busy, and the city is asking everyone to get involved in the celebration by donating to the City's Fireworks Fund.
As in previous years, Premier Sponsorships will be offered for donations of $5,000, $2,500 and $1,500; however, donations of any amount are greatly appreciated.
All donors – no matter the amount – will be recognized by the City both online and in print.
If you're interested in making a donation to this year's fireworks display, please make your donation check payable to the 'City of Newport' with a notation of 'Fireworks Fund' on the memo line, and mail it to the attention of the Mayor's Office, 43 Broadway, Newport, R.I. 02840.
More information about the City's fireworks display can also be found on the City's website at
For over 100 years, the Rhode Island Society Sons of the Revolution has hosted Newport's Independence Day Celebration, and there is no more patriotic place to celebrate America's birthday than in Newport's Historic District. The Declaration of Independence was first read to the citizens of Rhode Island from the steps of the Colony House in Newport in 1776 and each Fourth of July, the event is recreated in celebration with music, cannons and a tribute to Newport's signer of the Declaration.
All events are free.
9 a.m.: A commemoration of William Ellery, Newport's signer of the Declaration of Independence, at his grave site in Newport's Common Burying Ground on Farewell Street, led by the Daughters of the American Revolution and with participation of the Rhode Island Society Sons of the Revolution, and the Artillery Company of Newport.
9 to 11 a.m.: The Newport Historical Society will provide access to the Colony House, the fourth oldest State House inAmerica, with staff present to answer questions.
9:30 a.m.: Bike Newport will hold their annual bike parade from Ellery Park at Farewell and Thames Street. Decorate your bike and enjoy the fun.
10 to 11 a.m.: A rousing Patriotic concert in Eisenhower Park in Washington Square by the Newport Community Band at Salve Regina University, Peter Davis conducting.
11 a.m.: A reading of the Declaration of Independence by Colonel Roy Lauth, from the steps of the Colony House, the spot where it was first read to the Colony in 1776 by Major John Handy.
11:30 a.m.: In Washington Square, a 21-gun salute fired by the Artillery Company of Newport, using the fourcannons purchased from Paul Revere in 1798 by the new state of Rhode Island.
The Common Burying Ground, established in 1640, includes the grave of Declaration signer William Ellery and the graves of other historic figures, such as Commodore Mathew Perry, who opened Japan to the West in 1854. God's Little Acre, a section of Common Burying Ground, is the largest cemetery of enslaved people in the United States.
The Colony House was one of four seats of the colonial government in Rhode Island. Here on May 6, 1776, Rhode Island declared it no longer owed allegiance to the British crown, now known as Rhode Island Independence Day. The Continental Congress's Declaration of Independence was first read from the front steps of on July 22, 1776.
Join fellow citizens at 9 a.m. on the grounds of Portsmouth Free Public Library to read aloud portions of our nation's founding document, the Declaration of Independence, adopted unanimously by a fledgling Congress 249 years ago on July 4, 1776. Copies will be available or bring your own. We welcome families – children are encouraged to read a passage. In case of rain the reading will be held inside the library in the Mello Program Room.
Please provide your own chair or blanket and dress for the weather. Some participants like to wear red, white and blue for the occasion. By about 9:30 a.m., you will be on your way to parades and cookouts and other celebrations of the day.
Escobar's Farm, 133 Middle Road, Portsmouth, announced they will have a fireworks display on Saturday, July 5, at 9 p.m.
They will also host a tractor show beginning at 11 a.m. and the farm's concession stand will be open.
At 9 a.m. the Tiverton Historical Society will hold the annual public reading of the Declaration of Independence at the WWI Doughboy memorial statue on the Tiverton Bicentennial Green by the old Stone Bridge next to Grinnell's Beach.
This public reading is not like any other; those present are encouraged to read a marked passage from the Declaration so 'We the People' can all participate. Before the reading, a brief history of events of past years, including those leading up to the creation of the Declaration, is recounted. This typically takes less than half an hour, so you'll have plenty of time to celebrate the rest of the weekend. Held rain or shine.
The event is scheduled for Sunday, July 6 at East Ferry. Music at 7 p.m. and fireworks at 9 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: July 4th fireworks, Declaration of Independence in Newport County
