July 4 Celebration Guide
It's June 29. Plan your July 4 at Colonial Williamsburg and Yorktown. In other news, teenage DUI driver kills motorcyclist, James City County works to ease landscaping requirements.
From a rare look at two copies of the Declaration of Independence at the American Revolutionary Museum in Yorktown, to Colonial Williamsburg’s iconic July 4 fireworks event, there will be many ways to enjoy the holiday indoors and out this week.
Here are key events taking place at Colonial Williamsburg and the American Revolutionary Museum in Yorktown.
Williamsburg:
Colonial Williamsburg is hosting a two-hour extravaganza July 4 capping a full day of celebrations. America Made in Virginia, 250 Years Together, is presented in partnership with the Virginia 250 Commission and will be broadcast nationwide on PBS from 8-10 p.m.
The event will be presented on Market Square behind the Courthouse featuring American musicians led by legendary singer-songwriter Judy Collins.
The evening culminates with a drone show at 9:25 p.m. followed at 9:35 p.m. with what CW is billing the largest fireworks display ever produced at CW.
The main entertainment will be staged on Market Square behind the Courthouse. Screens will be set up on Palace Green for additional viewing of the grand ceremony.
CW is offering an entire day of patriotic activities, starting with a reading of the Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson at 9:30 a.m. from the Capitol building’s West Balcony.
At 10:30 a.m. at the Military Encampment, A Salute to the States will feature a special muster in commemoration of the anniversary of the birth of our nation. At 11:00 a.m., learn about the Virginia Declaration of Rights with Nation Builder George Mason at the Hennage Auditorium. At 11:30 a.m., there will be a special demonstration of weapons and tactics with Freedom and the Fog of War at the Military Encampment.
12:00 p.m. Noon at the Raleigh Tavern, Williamsburg Declares will explore how our historic community played a vital role in the lead up to the Declaration of Independence.
At 2:00 p.m., recruits of all ages are welcome to take part in Under Arms: Training the Grand Army, an interactive military drill with a final inspection conducted by Patrick Henry or enjoy a stage presentation at the Hennage Auditorium of Pursuing Happiness.
Close out your day with Beat the Retreat: Marching to a New Nation at 4:00 p.m. featuring General George Washington and march from the Magazine to the Capitol and experience 1776: The Trial for Independence at 4:30 p.m.
CW has also put together a lineup of what it calls Nation Builder programs at various venues throughout the day.
Visitors may bring folding chairs and arm blankets but no large umbrellas, weapons or drones. Large bags are subject to inspection.
Yorktown
The Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation is offering a host of activities in Yorktown, where the British surrendered to the American revolutionaries:
“Give Me Liberty: Virginia & The Forging of a Nation”
VA250 Signature Exhibition at the American Revolutionary Museum in Yorktown. Opening July 1, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
As the signature exhibition of the VA250 Commission featuring 60+ original artifacts, reproductions and multimedia, you can examine the continental and global forces as well as the actions of both iconic and ordinary people that brought about a model of democratic government that changed the world. As the largest, richest and most populous American colony, Virginia had a key role in the nation’s birth.
You will have the rare opportunity to view two copies of the Declaration of Independence – an early July 1776 broadside printing and an 1833 engrossed printing from the engraved plate of W.J. Stone, both in the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation collection.
Liberty Celebration
Daytime Special Event – July 4, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Experience artillery firings, period cooking, the Great American Fourth of July Sing-Along, and a performance by the Fifes & Drums of York Town. Indoors, catch “Liberty Fever,” an award-winning film, add your thoughts to the “Liberty Tree,” and share your wish for America’s 250th on a Wish Wall, a Civics Season activity.
Star-Spangled Cookout
Ticketed Evening Event – July 4, 6 to 8:30 p.m.
Old-fashioned Fourth-of-July American cookout with hot dogs, hamburgers and all the fixings, accompanied by music, puppet shows, crafts and competitions. The event concludes with an artillery salute to our nation, signaling time to take in Historic Yorktown’s firework festivities. Tickets are $45 for adults, $25 for youth and free for ages 2 and under. Discount for museum members.
“Fresh Views of the American Revolution”
Special Exhibition through August 31, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Discover new perspectives on the ideals and legacies of the Revolution through the folk art of Oscar de Mejo created during the 1976 Bicentennial juxtaposed with contemporary voices. View more than a dozen paintings of de Mejo’s work in the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation collection, including “The Declaration of Independence, 1776.” Explore questions about the nature of liberty, freedom, equality and revolutionary sentiments to interpret the meanings of this never-ending American Revolution.
Admission
Daytime events and exhibits are included with museum admission: $21.00 for adults, $11.00 for youth ages 6-12 and free for ages 5 and under. A value-priced combination ticket with Jamestown Settlement, a museum of 17th-century Virginia, is $34.00 for adults and $17.00 for ages 6-12. Residents of York County, James City County and the City of Williamsburg, including William & Mary students, receive complimentary admission with proof of residency. Tickets and membership programs are available online or in person at both museums.
Getting around:
Parking will be at a premium in both venues, but there are designated parking spots and shuttles to get you to your destination.
There is a full FAQ of what to expect at the CW celebration here, and Yorktown here.
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