Fourth of July is right around the corner, and that of course means food, parades and fireworks to celebrate America’s Independence Day. Here is your guide to festivities around the City of Ithaca and Tompkins County.
Friday, June 30
The Town of Groton is hosting a fireworks show beginning at 7 p.m. at Groton Elementary School Field, sponsored by the Groton Fire Department. There will be food trucks and a DJ.
Saturday, July 1
Lively Run Goat Dairy in Interlaken is hosting an event called “Cider Bar and Red, White and Blue Cheese Day” from noon to 5 p.m. Cider for the event is provided by Spaces Cider, Eve’s Cidery and Redbyrd Orchard Cider, and there will be discounts on red, white and blue cheeses.
Cortland County is hosting the Cortland County Independence Day Spectacular from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Dwyer Memorial Park in Preble. There will be live music and food, and a fireworks display beginning at 8 p.m.
Sunday, July 2
There will be a fireworks display at Clute Park off Route 414 at the southern end of Seneca Lake in Watkins Glen beginning at 8 p.m., sponsored by the Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce.
Monday, July 3
MAQ, a jazz and Brazilian music ensemble, will perform from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at South Hill Cider.
Tuesday, July 4
The Inn at Taughannock Falls will host a fireworks show once the sun sets — likely to be around 9:30 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. — and the show will last for about half an hour. Parking is available at Taughannock Falls State Park.
Paddle-N-More will host a guided paddle on Cayuga Lake starting from Myers Park at 8 p.m. to watch the fireworks. If you are interested in paddling, you can rent a kayak or paddleboard, or you can bring your own craft.
In addition to these festivities, the Hangar Theatre will be performing the two-time Tony nominated play and 2019 Pulitzer Prize in Drama finalist “What the Constitution Means to Me,” by Heidi Schreck, every day beginning at 7:30 p.m.
Jonathan Mong is a reporter from the Cornell Daily Sun working on The Sun’s summer fellowship at The Ithaca Voice. This piece was originally published in the Ithaca Voice.