Central New Jersey Fourth of July Events

By Alicia Cruz
The New Jersey Newsroom

Central New Jersey residents get ready to celebrate the birth of this nation's independence with concerts, fireworks and a blood drive at this year's Fourth of July celebration.

Somerset's blood drive will begin before the Independence Day festivities on Friday July 2 at the Franklin Municipal Complex, 475 DeMott Lane beginning at 2:00 p.m. and ending at 8:00 p.m.

Plan to start your Independence Day off with the "Let Freedom Ring'' ceremony, scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial in the Municipal Complex. The bells will sound at 2 p.m. Light refreshments will be served after the event.

The annual Clothesline Art Show will begin at 6:30 p.m. on July 4 with vendors selling food and snacks, followed by the fireworks show at 9:00 p.m.

The Courier News and Ethicon are sponsoring the entertainment lineup, which will begin at 5 p.m. July 4, at North Branch Park on Milltown Road in Bridgewater.

Get set to jam to buffet and Caribbean tunes of Jimmy & the Parrots and dance with the Rhythm Doctors' followed by the hits of music wonders like Earth, Wind and Fire, Stevie Wonder, James Brown and other Motown classics.

An appearance by the Hillsborough Rockettes is scheduled as well. For more information, visit the Somerset County Park Commission's Web site.

The Red Oak Grille at the New Jersey Golf Club in the Hills section of Bernards will have a fireworks display, scheduled for Sunday, July 11. The restaurant at 579 Allen Road is open to the public and has outdoor seating.

The fireworks display is set for 9:30 p.m. The rain date is Monday, July 5, or the first clear night at 9:30 p.m.

The annual Clothesline Art Show will begin at 6:30 p.m. Vendors will sell food and snacks, followed by a 9 p.m. fireworks show.

Hunterdon County will kick off their fourth of July festivities with the 63rd Annual Lebanon Borough Parade, which will feature a "Through the Eyes of a Child'' theme.

The fun begins at 1 p.m. Sunday July 4 at the east end of Main Street near Stewart's Root Beer on Route 22. Streets will close to traffic beginning at noon.