Get a Head Start on Fourth of July Festivities in Edgartown

Tomorrow is Independence Day – which means many things. It is the celebration of the nation's freedom; it is the official start to summer and a great time for some barbecue, a parade and fireworks.

Festivities start at 4 pm tomorrow in Edgartown and go late into the evening, depending on how you choose to celebrate. With a reported coming to the Island this week, getting to Edgartown early is certainly a good idea and necessary since many roads also will be temporarily closed during the parade.

Edgartown’s Fourth of July festivities begin at 4 pm at thewhere the Martha’s Vineyard Preservation Trust is hosting a barbecue. Food will be sold a la carte. Marching bands will be on hand to entertain parade-goers as they wait for the start of the procession.

The annual Fourth of July parade begins at 5 pm. The parade will feature kilt-clad bagpipers, fire trucks and animals, and will be led by Joseph E. Sollitto Jr. who is taking the helm for the first time. This year, Lt. Col. Fred “Ted” Morgan, who has led the parade for more than 40 years, decided it was time for him to pass the torch. , World War II veteran and former 30-year Edgartown selectmen, as he returned to Normandy for the first time since saving a man’s life there in 1944.

Following the parade, the Edgartown Board of Trade will present a fireworks display over the harbor starting at 9 pm. In the event of rain, the fireworks will be rescheduled to July 5.

Police say to expect traffic delays beginning at 3 pm. All parade participants are encouraged to be at the by 3 pm. All roads within the parade route will close at 4:30 pm. All cars parked along the parade route will be towed.

Parking will be available at Edgartown Park and Ride on Dark Woods Road. Trolleys will transport drivers to the center of town. Handicap parking is available in the parking lot at the foot of Main Street.