Several small American flags. Get your own to wave on the Fourth of July! (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Are you already thinking about this year’s Fourth of July celebrations? Well, I hope you are because it’s only one month until that special day! The anniversary of America’s independence has become a time for parades, cookouts, parties, and fireworks all across the country.

How will Essex, NY be celebrating this year? We hope you will fill us in! Do you know of any town events being planned? Or something you’d like to see happen? Please let us know in the comments.

Now we’ll let you know about a few events that we already know about:

6.5k Firecracker Run

Start training now to participate in the 12th annual 6.5k Firecracker Run!

After 11 years of planning the 6.5k Firecracker Run, Frank Hain has passed the torch over to NEW Health to organize the run. As they say on their event page, “We are so thrilled to help keep this 4th of July celebration going in Essex!”

Here are the details:

What: 6.5k Firecracker Run
When: July 4th, 2014
Registration on race day starts at 7:30am.
Race starts at 8:00am.
Where: Starts at NEW Health (2885 Essex Road—at the Corner of Blockhouse and Essex Rd.).
Ends at the blinking light on Main Street.
Price: The price for the 6.5k is $11 if you pay by credit card and $10 if you pay with cash or check.

You can register online now.

There will also be a Kid’s Fun Run. Details to come.

Essex Community Concert

Carol Williams, Organist

On July 4th at 7:30 pm visit the Essex Community Church to enjoy an organ concert by returning musician Carol Williams. Enjoy refreshments and meet Carol Williams during the reception  following the concert. It is $10 admission and children are admitted free.

“British born, Carol was raised in a Welsh family with many musical influence. She began private lessons at age five and could read music before she could read English and began performing recitals at age 8. Carol’s formal training started with five years at the Royal Academy of Music where she specialized in organ performing as a student of David Sanger and obtained the Academy’s prestigious Recital Diploma together with an LRAM (organ) and an LRAM (piano)…” (Learn more about Carol Williams.)

See videos of her performing here.

Parade, Food, Games, and Fireworks!

An old-fashioned parade will make its way down onto State Route 22 from the Block House Road (by St. Joseph’s Catholic Church), and will continue down past the Essex-Charlotte ferry dock and onto Main Street in Essex following the route it takes every year.

Make sure to get there early to find a good spot to park and watch as the marchers, bikers, home-made floats, tractors, and classic cars go by. Don’t forget to be on the look out for the candy throwers! We’ll announce the time of the parade once that information is released.

Following the parade, go to Begg’s Point Park to play games and get some food and enjoy other activities.

And of course the celebrations will end with a beautiful fireworks display at dusk off Mason’s Point (on July 5th). Get some blankets or chairs (or just sit on a tailgate) and find a good spot at Beggs Point to watch the fireworks light up the sky over Lake Champlain!

[T]he Essex Fire Department is having a raffle to cover the cost of the fireworks display.

Call Norma Goff at 963-4083 or email her at nwg13@willex.com for more information or to buy raffle tickets, which are only $5 each. You can also get tickets from any member of the fire department. The fireworks show will cost $5,500 this year. If raffles aren’t your thing, just write a check with a notation that it’s for fireworks and send it to the fire department. (Rob Ivy~Essex Column)

You’re sure to find something to enjoy in Essex on the Fourth of July. Plan to join in the fun!

Keep an eye on us for the full Essex Fourth of July schedule announcement.

Related articles

• Essex, NY: Fourth of July 2013 (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
• Vintage Photo: Old Essex Firehouse (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
• Essex Farm Tours 2014 (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)