MIDDLETOWN, N.Y.—Orange County will be lit up on July 4th with events, festivals, and fireworks. Here are a few of the many events happening in July.
The City of Middletown will have several free events with a lot of music. On July 3, several music performances will take place at John F. Degnan Square, including Grammy-winning “King of Polka” Jimmy Sturr and his orchestra and special guest Chris Caffery, a rock artist who was a member of the band Savatage and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
The city will have its Stars & Stripes Celebration on July 1 at Fancher Davidge Park. The event begins at 7 p.m. and will feature DJ Echo and the Hometown Harmony choir, a singing ensemble put together by the Middletown school district.
The Village of Goshen will be having a busy weekend, with both the annual Great American Weekend and multiple days of the Grand Circuit Race.
The Great American Weekend is an annual festival that started in 1982, and has grown into one of the largest events in the area. About 20,000 people are expected to attend on both July 4 and July 5. It will feature more than 150 vendors, food trucks, and family activities. The nearby Goshen Historic Track will be holding its Grand Circuit Race from July 3 to 5.
On July 3, Sugar Loaf will be hosting the “Voices of Liberty” performance, which is a free live stage production. It will feature an original play created by Teresa Gasparini and directed by Keith Dougherty about the local region’s contributions to the American victory in the Revolutionary War, and will be performed by professional actors.
The performance will also include M'Lanie Hunter Dance, members of the Tilly Foster Bluegrass band, and local resident and Disney performer Madi Bunzey.
In New Windsor, there will be special historic programs at the New Windsor Cantonment State Historic Site on July 4. The event will include reenactments with muskets, military drills, the reading of the Declaration of Independence, tours of the historic headquarters, and 18th-century music performed by musician reenactors Liaisons Plaisantes.
Cornwall Fourth of July is a Hudson River-side celebration with a legacy stretching back to 1950. The July 4 festival hosts a wide variety of activities, including a parade, the 5th Annual Duck Derby, the Main Street Mile race, historic presentations and tours, and lots more. The fireworks show will begin after dark.
West Point will also be hosting a free July 4th event held at the Trophy Point Amphitheater, overlooking the Hudson River. The family-friendly event will feature the West Point Band, a prestigious group of musicians and the oldest active-duty U.S. Army band. The performance will have patriotic music, inspiring service stories, and newly written U.S. Army music. It will conclude with fireworks over the Hudson River.
July 18 will be the date of Orange County’s Freedom Fest at Thomas Bull Memorial Park in Montgomery. The afternoon and evening will be full of live music, local and visiting, Revolutionary War reenactors, and many activities for kids and families. The evening will conclude at dusk with a fireworks and drone show.
If none of these events seems accessible, check your local area. Many more celebrations didn’t make the list.
