EVENT GUIDE: Festivities for the 4th and beyond
A reconfigured Swan Festival with plenty of family-friendly activities coupled with the Wareham Historical Society’s annual Antiques Fair and fiddle contest will mark Independence Day in Wareham on Wednesday. The fun continues throughout the week and is capped off with the annual fireworks display in Onset.
Here’s what you can expect throughout the holiday week.
Wednesday, July 4
Wareham Village will celebrate America’s 236th birthday from Besse Park to Center Park (the Town Green). Wareham Public Schools will provide transportation between the parks, with stops along the way.
Swan Festival
The Wareham Village Association’s 16th annual Swan Festival kicks off at 10 a.m. and ends at 2 p.m.
The association is encouraging visitors to “paint the town red, white, and blue” and show patriotism either by wearing those colors or attending in 1776 period dress. All who do so will receive a free American flag. If you choose to dress like it’s 1776, the Wareham Village Association will hook you up with a free lemonade. (You’ll probably need it!)
Swan paddle boats are making an inaugural appearance at the festival this year, courtesy of the A.D. Makepeace Company. Boats will depart from the depot on Merchants Way. The cost is $15 for a half hour of paddling through the Wareham River.
Want to stay on land? Horse-drawn carriage rides will be available on a Center Park route ($30 for a family of four, $10 per individual) or a Besse Park route ($15 for a family of four or $5 per individual).
Wareham Week is sponsoring a pet parade with prizes for most patriotic pet and other goodies. (See page 13 for details!) Free registration is at 10 a.m. The parade kicks off from the Wareham Fire Station at 11 a.m.
Make art in the park at Besse Park. The community is invited to paint murals with patriotic and local scenes (no experience necessary). The murals will be shipped to troops serving overseas.
A children’s craft tent will offer fun activities for swan princes and princesses at no cost. Children may also show off their artistic side and decorate the park’s sidewalks with chalk. Jugglers will also be in attendance and the Onset Youth Center will provide balloon animals.
Pezzoli Square will be filled with vendors. As in past years, the Dick Melloni Youth Foundation will distribute free bicycle to children while supplies last.
Visit the Post Office for live music from rockabilly band Daddy-O and Brenna. Other surprise performers will also make appearances.
Stop by the Wareham Fire Station for “Touching a Truck,” where children can explore a fire truck.
Antiques Fair, Fearing Tavern Tour, Fiddle Contest
The Wareham Historical Society’s 36th annual Antiques Fair will be held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Center Park. Admission is $3.
Attendees can browse and buy collectibles from the turn of the century.
This year, admission to the fair includes a tour of historic Fearing Tavern, located just a hop, skip, and a jump away on Elm Street.
Wareham’s own version of the Antiques Road Show take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Produced by WCTV, Francis McNamee will appraise items on-air at a cost of $5 for one item or $10 for three.
The Historical Society will also host its fourth annual Fiddle Contest at the Congregational Church Fellowship Hall. Watch the fiddlers compete beginning at 10 a.m. For more information or to participate, e-mail b330@msn.com.
Summer of Love Concert Series begins
Looking for something to do in the evening? The Onset Bay Association’s Summer of Love Concert Series begins July 4 and takes place every Wednesday from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. until August 29.
Groovy Afternoon kicks off the series at the Band Shell.
Thursday, July 5
A movie at the Band Shell
The second week of the Onset Bay Movie Company’s summer movie series at the Onset Band Shell will feature Transformers, rated PG-13.
Movies screen every Thursday at 8:30 p.m. and are free to watch.
Saturday, July 7
Rock 4 XMAS
The Rock 4 XMAS Foundation, founded by Wareham native Wayne Morrison and Stet Howland in 1996, will host the Cars, Guitars, and Motorcycles show at the Onset Band Shell from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
The concert is free of charge, with toys and nonperishable food donations accepted. The Rock 4 XMAS Foundation will round up the items and donate them to area families in need during the holiday season.
“I’ve always wanted to give back to my home community,” said Morrison, who now lives in New Bedford.
It is the foundation’s 16th season of concerts.
“We found ourselves happy one year and wanting to spread our happiness with the less fortunate,” said Howland. “It just kind of turned into a perpetual thing.”
Saturday’s event will feature a car and guitar show with acoustic folk rock by Gregg Harper from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. It will be followed by the Rock 4 XMAS concert featuring Joey Molland of Bad Finger, Stet Howland of WASP, Wayne Morrison and the Rock 4 XMAS All-Stars – Chris Ingraham, Steve Massa, Nick Testone, Kyle Ingraham, and Timothy Mckenna. The line-up has backed artists such as Eddie Money, Pat Travers, and Joey Molland.
The All-Stars have also recorded a rendition of “Little Drummer Boy,” which is being sold on iTunes with 100% of the proceeds donated to the Rock 4 XMAS Foundation.
For more information about Rock 4 XMAS, visit www.rock4xmas.com.
Onset-Wareham Fireworks
Celebrate America’s independence on Saturday with the annual Onset-Wareham Fireworks display over Onset Beach and Onset Bay.
The Onset-Wareham Fireworks Committee has been working to raise the approximately $20,000 needed to put on the display since May… and organizers say this will be another breathtaking show!
The display begins at dusk. In the event of rain, the fireworks will be held at dusk on Sunday.
The Wareham Police Department will be closing the streets leading into Onset center for the annual Onset-Wareham fireworks display on Saturday, July 7.
Here's the lowdown:
- The Onset Pier will be closed at 6 p.m. and reserved for handicapped parking. Limited handicapped parking is also available in the designated area on the Onset Bluffs, in front of the Band Shell.
- Onset Center will be closed to through traffic at 7 p.m. Only residents with proper identification and/or handicapped access will be allowed inside the Onset center area.
- Onset center will be closed to all vehicular traffic at 8 p.m., including vehicles seeking handicapped access.
"Every effort will be made to cause minimal inconvenience to residents of the area while traffic safety measures are conducted," Wareham Police officials wrote in a statement. "Chief Richard Stanley’s goal is for everyone to enjoy a safe and happy fireworks event."
Stanley reminded the community in the statement that public drinking is not allowed anywhere in the Town of Wareham and "will not be tolerated."
Additionally, it is illegal for private citizens to possess or sell fireworks in Massachusetts, or to purchase them elsewhere and transport them into the state, police said.
Police said that any fireworks possessed by private citizens will be confiscated and individuals will be charged accordingly.
