On Tuesday, July 3, you can oooh and aaaah as the rockets and fireworks burst and bloom in the night sky over Husky Stadium at Heritage High School. Early Wednesday, July 4, you can don red, white and blue and walk in the children’s parade down shaded North Main Street with your children or grandchildren – or just pretend one of the hundreds of children is yours. Then trek on over to Holding Park and R.H. Forrest Field for art and games.
The 2018 Wake Forest Fourth of July Celebration is the 45th year town and area residents have marked our country’s birth. For 44 years the planning and execution was done by a small group of very dedicated volunteers who raised money for the fireworks show by charging $5 for everyone over 6 to enter Trentini Stadium behind Wake Forest High School. This year the stadium show and fireworks display are being organized by the Town of Wake Forest with the help of many sponsors, meaning they are free to all.
The gates at Husky Stadium will open at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday and the program begins at 6 p.m. Crush, one of the area’s most popular bands, will provide entertainment before the fireworks show which begins at dusk, about 8:30, but there is no set time.
Hamburgers, hot dogs, popcorn, and snow cones will be sold at a concession stand. A variety of food and dessert trucks will also be on site, including Lumpy’s, Kona Ice, Sunshine Girls Lemonade, Jays Italian Ice, Morfa Empenadas, Havana Dave’s, Big C Waffles, and Mr. Mongolian.
Picnic baskets and/or coolers will be allowed, but alcoholic beverages, smoking, glass and pets are strictly prohibited on the Heritage High School campus. In addition, no bicycles are allowed inside the stadium and no chairs or blankets will be permitted on the stadium track.
Handicap parking (by identification only) and regular parking are available on the school campus.
A new option this year will be a free shuttle service, compliments of the Kerr Family YMCA. The free shuttle will begin at 5 p.m. and pick up visitors at the Smith Creek Soccer Center, 690 Heritage Lake Road; Hope Lutheran Churcch, 3525 Rogers Road; Heritage Middle School, 3400 Rogers Road; and Heritage Elementary School, 3500 Rogers Road. The last shuttle will leave Heritage High School about 11 p.m. The shuttle will run continuously and will drop riders off at one location on the Heritage High campus.
The Independence Day fun continues on Wednesday, July 4, with the Children’s Parade along North Main Street. The lineup begins at 10 a.m. at the intersection of North Main Street and West Juniper Avenue, near the Wake Forest College Birthplace. The procession will get underway at 10:30 a.m. Participation in the Children’s Parade is free, but bicyclists are encouraged to wear their helmets.
The final events are Arts & Games in the Park. Children of all ages will have the opportunity to create a variety of interesting arts and crafts projects, join in a slew of games and activities, and enjoy giant inflatables. All of these festivities will take place at Holding Park at 133 West Owen Avenue and R.H. Forrest Field at 123 West Owen Avenue.
Game activities will take place at Holding Park and include sack races, a watermelon seed-spitting contest and a pie-eating contest.
Sponsored by the Wake Forest Woman’s Club, arts and crafts activities will take place inside the Wake Forest Community House at 133 West Owen Avenue and will include making various patriotic-themed crafts for all ages, cupcake decorating, tattoos, stickers and a photo booth complete with costumes.
The following sponsors have generously contributed to the 2018 Independence Day Celebration: PowerSecure, Gladwell Orthodontics, Capital PowerSports, Mitchell Heating & Cooling, Crossroads Ford of Wake Forest, Champion Windows, The College at Southeastern, McPherson Family Eye Care, Kerr Family YMCA, Passanante’s Home Food Services, LeafFilter North of North Carolina, British Swim School, Vision Martial Arts, Birkner Insurance, Rainbow Child Care Center, Heritage Eye Care, Candlewood Suites, Opendoor, the Wake Forest Woman’s Club and Hope Lutheran Church.
