The Fourth of July was celebrated across all of the area’s communities Thursday, except for Marblehead.
The Fourth of July Fireworks and Harbor Illumination there were canceled after the fireworks barge caught fire overnight.
The Marblehead Fire Department said that just after 1:30 a.m. on Thursday, there was a barge fire at the mouth of Marblehead Harbor.
The department worked with the Coast Guard, the Massachusetts Environmental Police, and the Beverly Fire Department to put out the flames.
“We are very sorry to have to announce that the Marblehead Fireworks and Harbor Illumination 2024 are not going to be happening this year,” a press release from the Marblehead Fireworks Committee reads. “Fortunately, nobody was on the barge at that time and there were no injuries reported, as far as we know. Again, as a result of this incident, the Fireworks Committee has determined that we are unable to have the Fireworks and Harbor Illumination this year.”
The cause of the barge fire is currently under investigation. The Marblehead Fire Department is looking for any pictures or videos from the barge fire to assist with the investigation. Anyone who has pictures or videos can send them to [email protected].
Marblehead did continue hosting the Festival of Arts, which will continue until July 7.
Live music was played at Crocker Park and Glover’s Marblehead Regiment hosted its annual cannon firing at Fort Sewall.
Colleen Connor said although the fireworks were canceled, she was still excited to go to Crocker Park to listen to live music.
In other regional communities, residents emphatically celebrated Independence Day with a range of events.
Lynn
There was a block party on Fays Avenue, along with a parade that that headed to Spring Pond Field. The party included races, an egg toss, water-balloon games, face painting, balloon artists, and a dunk tank.
Lynnfield
The Lynnfield Athletic Association held a July 4 road race at the Town Common.
Nahant
There was a Tortoise and Hare Road Race, as well as a 3-mile race for adults and a 1-mile road race for kids. There were also various games such as a three-legged race, 50-yard dash, and egg toss at the soccer field behind the fire station.
Later in the evening, Nahant held a wharf party. Mojo Slim provided music for the evening. Fireworks were shot from Bailey’s Hill between 8:30 and 9 p.m.
Peabody
Each ward city councilor hosted their own Fourth of July celebration around the city, with patriotic parades and other events at Raddin Park, the Welch School, Connelly Park, Emerson Park, Lt. Ross Park, and Symphony Park.
Saugus
On the field of the Lynnhurst Elementary School, there was a block party with classic Fourth of July food, such as hot dogs and Popsicles.
For children at the block party, there was a “most patriotic” costume contest, a potato sack race, a three-legged race, a tug of war, a haystack maze, a balloon toss, a watermelon-eating contest, and a pie-eating contest.
Swampscott
There was a Fourth of July race in town all day, starting at 10:30 a.m. Four age groups raced in a “Swampscott tradition,” starting at Phillips Park.
