Fourth of July festival June 29

Fourth of July celebrations will be held on June 29 this year, complete with a children’s area, a beer garden and a fireworks display at Freedom Park.

The Medford Celebrates Foundation raised funds for and organized the event.

“We’re hopeful we’re providing something people find attractive that’s more than just fireworks,” said Bob Egan, president of the non-profit Medford Celebrates Foundation.

The organization began preparing for this year’s festival last year, saving and investing money when the fireworks had finished.

“Last year, we were ahead of the game,” Egan said. “We had money in the bank, which gave us a margin to start investing.”

A majority of the money comes through business sponsorship, including Zallie’s ShopRite and Murphy’s.

Additionally, the foundation charged vendors for a space at the event, held fundraisers and accepted private donations through PayPal. The foundation also sold shirts and held a “coin toss” at intersections. The foundation plans to save the money from this year’s beer garden, vendor fees and donations.

“We have been diligently working since the 2012 fireworks to create a bigger and even better event,” said Beth Portocalis, Medford Township’s liaison, in a foundation statement. “The more we talked about it, the more it just made sense to move the date of the fireworks to the preceding Saturday so it could be an all-day celebration involving the entire Medford community as well as those who come to Medford for the celebration. Literally thousands of people come to Medford to see the fireworks, and now they can make a day of it.”

The most expensive purchase is the fireworks, costing approximately $15,000, according to Egan.

“Ultimately, we’re going to rely on donations from the public,” Egan said. “We’re very appreciative of those who have [made a donation].”

Guests can expect musical entertainment provided by a DJ and Cherry Hill’s No Commitment. The band’s lead singer, Zachary Birnbaum, successfully made it to Hollywood on season 12 of “American Idol.”

“We were able to do the fireworks last year, and we wanted to expand it,” Egan said. “We want to appeal to people of all ages.”
The Independence Day celebration begins at 2 p.m. and will run until 10 p.m., including the fireworks display, at Freedom Park.
There is no cost to attend the event, however vendors will be charging for food and drinks.

“We’re working harder than we ever thought,” Egan said. “We’re hopeful for a successful event everyone is excited about.”