Celebrate the Fourth in Suffolk

Published 7:35 pm Saturday, June 30, 2018

People looking to celebrate the red, white and blue this Wednesday will have opportunities for fireworks and festivities in both North and downtown Suffolk.

The forecast for Independence Day is a high of 88 degrees and a low of 73 with humidity between 71 percent in the afternoon and 93 percent in the evening, according to The Weather Channel. The odds for rain are just 20 percent and the UV Index is going to be 10 at maximum.

All-day events are planned for the village of Eclipse, including food sales, a parade, bounce houses, a raft race, music and fireworks. The collaborative celebration between Ebenezer United Methodist Church, the community and the Crittenden, Eclipse and Hobson Ruritan Club has been a holiday staple for decades.

Email newsletter signup

The parade will begin with an opening ceremony at 10:15 a.m. on the Eclipse Drive soccer field and proceed throughout the neighborhood. The bake and barbecue sale will be held in family life center starting at 9 a.m. and lunch will be served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

There will be face painting from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and free games at noon. The Ruritan club’s raft race on the Chuckatuck Creek will be at 3 p.m. followed by an Ebenezer Praise Band performance from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and the Ruritan club’s fireworks at 9 p.m.

Raft race t-shirts will be sold to benefit Suffolk River Heritage and copies of the organization’s new book “Screwpiles: The Forgotten Lighthouses” will be sold. The church will also collect donations of men’s, women’s and children’s socks during the parade and other festivities for the youth and mission teams to distribute to local homeless.

“Socks are some of the most needed items in homeless shelters, but it’s the least donated article of clothing,” said Chris Keltner, EUMC member and co-chair for the mission team. “We’re going to have collection bins around the church and a vehicle in the parade where people can come and throw socks into.”

The Stars and Stripes Spectacular downtown at Constant’s Wharf Park & Marina will open at 5:30 p.m. A children’s area for children 12 and under with bounce houses and a rock climbing wall will have a $5 entry fee.

Food vendors will be plentiful and range from full meals to tasty treats like Big Daddy’s Kettle Corn and Lorna Jean’s Good Eats, according to Parks and Recreation Special Events Coordinator Emily Upton.

The band Hotcakes will take to the stage at 6 p.m. and the fireworks show will begin at 9 p.m.

“It should be a great firework show over the Nansemond,” Upton said.

There will be free shuttles beginning at 5:15 p.m. from the First Baptist Church parking lot at 237 N. Main St., the City Hall parking lot at 442 W. Washington St. and the Mills Godwin Courts Building at 150 N. Main St. The last shuttle run before the fireworks will begin at 8:20 p.m.