It is that time of year again, folks! Warmth, late nights, beautiful flowers, barbecues, and Independence Day! Let’s hope this Fourth of July is a dry one, so all of the exciting events will go off without a hitch. If it does rain though, we are ready.
Rain Date
This year, plans are in place in case of inclement weather on the Fourth. If the forecast for July 4 looks threatening, the Fourth of July Committee will decide by 6 PM on July 3 whether to postpone the fireworks and the Independence Day Festival to July 5. If those events are postponed, that will be announced on Andover’s cable TV channels (TDS Channel 16 and Comcast Channel 8), on the Andover Fourth of July Facebook page, on The Andover Beacon’s Web site at AndoverBeacon.com, and on the Town of Andover Web site at Andover.NH.us.
If the celebration is postponed, the Andover Lions Pancake Breakfast and the Firecracker 5K will still happen on the Fourth, rain or shine. The parade, however, must be cancelled, as the state permit is only valid for July 4. In that case, participants are encouraged to bring their floats to Lawrence Street at 11 AM on July 5 for the public to enjoy and for judging and prizes, and bands that intended to march in the parade are invited to perform on the Village Green on July 5.
Events for the Fourth
7 to 10 AM: The Andover Lions Club will host its annual Pancake Breakfast at AE/MS. This will be a rain-or-shine event.
10 AM to 1 PM: Closest to the Pin Drive on Carr Field
11 AM: The Children’s Parade will be lining up and judged in front of the ProClaim building next to Pizza Chef. Decorate your bicycles, carts, and unicycles with this year’s theme: Summertime.
The Road Relics of New Hampshire Car Club will be hosting a car show again this year in the Pizza Chef parking lot. Cars can join the parade from there if they would like. However, participants will still need to fill out a parade registration form.
Noon: Parade time! Any vehicles that want to participate that have not pre-registered need to meet at the Proctor Field House prior to the parade.
The Independence Day Festival – live music, food, items for sale, games, raffles, and other great events – will all be held on the Village Green all day long.
Fireworks will be held at dusk. This year the fireworks will be shot up from the Proctor Ski Area. The area is a little higher than the previous location and is much more safe and secure for the public to enjoy the fireworks spectacle. The best viewing spots are still Corson Field behind AE/MS; Carr Field on Main Street; and the Village Green.
For a complete list of events, look for the Independence Day Program which will be distributed throughout the town at the Post Offices, convenience stores, and local businesses.
The next meeting of the Fourth of July Committee will be on Tuesday, August 5, at 7 PM at the Andover Fire Station. The public and people interested in becoming volunteers can stop by. If you have any questions, please contact Chairman Bob Ward at 735-5061 or Irene Haley at 455-5656.