SWAMPSCOTT — An estimated 5,000 community members will gather on Town Hall Lawn and throughout the downtown area Monday evening to celebrate Independence Day and raise money for local veterans.
The second annual Veterans Firework Festival will start at 5 p.m. and feature food trucks, a beer garden, live music, games, and inflatable play structures for children. Fun and games aside, all proceeds from the event will go to the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, and American Legion Auxiliary.
“One of the benefits of this is we’re all working together. We all benefit from it,” Lynn/Swampscott DAV Commander Jeffrey Blonder said. “People join different organizations for different reasons. We want to remind people that veterans are part of the community. We’re not monolithic about veterans affairs, we care about everything. We tried to make an event for veterans and non-veterans to enjoy the Fourth of July.”
Blonder said the event also serves as a form of outreach to make veterans aware of the services available to them. He said only a small percentage of Swampscott’s veterans are members of a veterans’ organization, and he wants to give all veterans an opportunity to receive the benefits and services they deserve.
“The DAV is not a social organization, it’s a service organization,” Blonder said.
Recreation Director Danielle Strauss said the town raised approximately $6,000 for veterans last year, but that with more family-friendly activities available this year, she hopes the event will draw a larger crowd.
“I think this year, people really want to come down and, before the fireworks go off, be able to hang out, have a beer, and have their kids play before they walk to the water to watch the fireworks go off,” Strauss said.
At 3 p.m., parking restrictions will go into effect on Monument Avenue, Humphrey Street, Burrill Street from Monument Avenue to Paradise Road, and Elmwood Road from Monument Avenue to Paradise Road. All of Redington Street, Sheridan Road, Thomas Road, and Banks Road will be closed for parking as well, along with portions of Walker Road and Farragut Road.
All of Monument Avenue, Shaw Road, Andrew Road, and Thomas Road will be closed beginning at 6 p.m. Additionally, Burrill Street will be closed from Monument Avenue to Paradise Road, Humphrey Street will be closed from the Lynn city line to Redington Street, and Elmwood Road will be closed from Monument Avenue to Paradise Road.
Police Sgts. Stephen Luck and Jay Locke were tasked with public safety and security for the event in collaboration with organizations such as the Lynn Police, Massachusetts State Police, and the Department of Conservation and Recreation. Luck said in past years, roughly 2,000 people attended the veterans event on Town Hall Lawn, with another 2,000 to 3,000 individuals in the Humphrey Street area.
“That stretch usually turns into standing room only within the last 20 minutes before the fireworks go off,” Luck said.
With large crowds expected, police ask that families arrange a meet-up location in the event that someone gets lost. Locke said he wants to remind festival attendees that drinking in public is illegal.
“A lot of people come down there and they think they can just drink alcohol out in the open since it’s kind of a festive area. Drinking is still not allowed in the public streets. There is going to be a festival with the town that has a liquor license that will be on Town Hall Lawn if they want to enjoy a beverage,” Locke said.
Locke said the Police Department is grateful for all of the organizations that helped make this event possible, such as the Northeast Homeland Security Regional Advisory Council and the Department of Public Works.
In the event of rain, Luck said the event will be pushed to July 5.
“Even though people don’t realize it, the Fourth of July is America’s birthday, but it’s also an homage to the veterans who won the Revolutionary War. Without those veterans, we wouldn’t have a July 4,” Blonder said.
