Whether you are looking for a creative or traditional way to celebrate the Fourth of July, the Upper Valley will offer several alternatives for those who want to commemorate tomorrow's national holiday.
The Third Annual Hanover Old-Fashioned Fourth of July, which will include a parade, bands, concession stands, games on the Green and a petting zoo, will begin early tomorrow morning.
According to Chris Vitale, assistant director of Hanover Parks and Recreation, the parade will begin at 10 a.m. in front of the Richmond School on Lebanon Street. The parade will then travel up Main Street and end on the Green.
Vitale said anyone can participate in the parade, which will include decorated bicycles, antique cars and a vintage fire truck with a 100-foot ladder.
Opening ceremonies will take place on the Green following the parade, where a stage will be erected for the four bands that will play throughout the day.
Vitale said the eclectic group of bands includes the Cardigan Mountain Tradition, a bluegrass band, the North Country Chordsmen, a men's barbershop chorus and The Flames, who perform music from the 1950s and 1960s.
A petting zoo will also be a part of the festivities.
"The petting zoo is a feat no one else has undertaken," Vitale said. "The first year we had a yak, sheep and bunnies, and last year we had a ram."
Vitale emphasized that all animals will be kept in paddocks.
Prizes will be awarded to the winners of the egg toss and cake walk contests to be held on the Green, and the Hanover Rotary Club will sell food at concession stands.
"This is a self-sustaining event," Vitale said. "All money from the event goes toward next year."
The event, broadcast live on KIXX 101.7 FM, will last until 5 p.m. but will not include a fireworks display in the evening, according to Vitale.
"Fireworks are cost-prohibitive," she said.
But Vitale said there will be a fireworks exhibition at Lebanon High School, tomorrow evening at 9:30 p.m.
"We decided to plan our event in the morning and early afternoon so that people could go to both events if they wanted," she said.
For those seeking a more customary celebration, "Old Vermont Fourth" will be held at the Billings Museum in Woodstock, Vt. -- a 30-minute drive from campus.
Festivities will begin at 11 a.m. and include two re-enactments of classical 19th century debates, a spelling bee and knitting of 43-star flags, Collections Manager Rebecca Helland said.
The participants in the debates will wear traditional clothing from the 1800s and argue issues relating to the time period, such as whether or not journalism plays a beneficial role in society and if dancing is compatible with the "high standards of morality," Helland said.
A reading of the Declaration of Independence will be given at noon, followed by a performance of patriotic John Phillip Sousa marches by the Woodstock Elementary School Independence Day band.
