Newburyport will celebrate Fourth with US Army Band

Jim Sullivan, The Daily News of Newburyport, Mass.
·3 min read

Jun. 29—NEWBURYPORT — Waterfront Park will be the site of the first Fourth of July celebration in the city in recent memory, featuring two days of music headlined by the 215th U.S. Army Band beginning Monday.

Dennis Palazzo, vice president of Yankee Homecoming, has volunteered to organize the musical celebration. The event will feature a showcase of local bands and other talent playing in the park from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday while the Army Band will hit the stage Tuesday from 6 to 8 p.m.

Although nearby Amesbury celebrates the Fourth of July with a traditional fireworks display, and Salisbury has fireworks on the beach each summer weekend, Newburyport has tended to wait until Yankee Homecoming's Super Saturday to light up the night sky. Yankee Homecoming will run from July 30 to Aug. 7.

"Yankee Homecoming is so big and it starts just three weeks later," Palazzo said. "So, I'm not sure if anything has ever been done on the Fourth of July."

Palazzo has been a big fan of the Fourth ever since he was a kid growing up in the Boston area. He said he always wanted to bring a proper celebration to Newburyport.

With the Parks Department hosting ParksFest at Waterfront Park on Saturday, Palazzo said he joined with the Greater Newburyport Chamber of Commerce & Industry to co-sponsor the Fourth of July celebration just a couple of days later.

"We haven't had anything in Newburyport on the Fourth of July in what seems like forever," he said. "I knew that the stage would be up for ParksFest, so it all just kind of worked out for us from there."

Crafters and food trucks will be available near or in Waterfront Park on Monday, which will see a lineup of local bands featuring Freevolt, Gentleman Brawlers, Muddy Ruckus, Pat Hall & Friends, a surprise headliner and opening act playing from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

On Tuesday, there will be family-friendly performances on the waterfront stage during the daytime before the Army Band goes on at 6 p.m.

"This will give people a chance to get out of work and head down to the waterfront, throw down a blanket or chairs and whatnot, and enjoy a performance," Palazzo said.

Erin Duggan, the Chamber of Commerce's director of marketing and events, said she is excited to offer a Fourth of July celebration this year.

"We are so thrilled to see Waterfront Park filled with locals and tourists alike celebrating Independence Day on the waterfront," she said.

Yankee Homecoming and the 1st Lt. Derek Hines Soldiers Assistance Fund will sponsor the Army Band, which most recently played Waterfront Park in 2019.

"I've been trying to get them back here, ever since," Palazzo said. "I just want to have a family-friendly event for the community so that people can relax and celebrate the Fourth of July."

With Monday marking the country's 246th birthday, Palazzo said he intends to expand the Fourth of July celebration into something much bigger by the 250th anniversary on July 4, 2026.

"I hope to grow this into a larger event as time goes on and, hopefully, we will end up having a bigger budget so we can have fireworks," he said.

Staff writer Jim Sullivan covers Newburyport for The Daily News. He can be reached via email at jsullivan@newburyportnews.com or by phone at 978-961-3145. Follow him on Twitter @ndnsully.

Staff writer Jim Sullivan covers Newburyport for The Daily News. He can be reached via email at jsullivan@newburyportnews.com or by phone at 978-961-3145. Follow him on Twitter @ndnsully.