Dogwood Dell Offers a Family Fourth and Fireworks

Pack a picnic, grab a blanket and bring the entire family to the City’s free annual Fourth of July Celebration and Fireworks Extravaganza presented by the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities on July 4 at Dogwood Dell in Byrd Park.

     The program will begin with a Children’s Carnival from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. behind the Ha’ Penny Stage on the west side of the Carillon. It will include inflatables, face painting, and games. Vendors will be on hand selling food and drinks in the children’s area as well as in the circle in front of the Dell stage throughout the evening. Of course, the public also can bring their own food and drinks or snacks, but no glass containers or alcohol are allowed in the park.

      At 5:45 p.m., the program will begin on the Dell stage with jazz by Simply Kevin B. Next, Larry Robinson, the City’s carilloneur for more than 50 years, will follow with a performance on the Carillon bells at 7 p.m.

     At 7:30 p.m., the Richmond Concert Band will take the stage to perform a program of pop and patriotic music, including many traditional numbers the audience will recognize and want to sing along with. The highlight of the evening is the annual finale, the “1812 Overture,” played with cannon fire and Carillon bells as it was originally composed to be played. The piece will conclude with the annual fireworks display.

     Event parking will be available at City Stadium, located at 600 McCloy Street, with shuttle bus service to and from the Dell starting at 2 p.m. Individuals with valid handicapped parking stickers will be allowed to park in the Dell parking lot to the east of the Carillon. Carillon neighborhood streets will be closed to traffic and parking, and the Boulevard Bridge will close at approximately 6 p.m. and remained closed until the fireworks are over.

     The public is reminded that no dogs are allowed in the park, and the adjacent Barker Park Dog Park will be closed July 3, July 4 and July 5 for safety purposes.

     The rain date for the event is July 5. For last minute updates, call the Dogwood Dell production office at 646-1031.

     The Fourth of July Celebration is a part of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities’ Festival of Arts, the summer-long program of free outdoor family entertainment that takes place at Byrd Park’s Dogwood Dell amphitheater. The complete summer schedule is on the department’s website under Cultural Arts.

      

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Fireworks Rescheduled for Tonight!

The City of Richmond has rescheduled its Festival of the Arts’ Fourth of July program at Dogwood Dell for 7 p.m. tonight, July 5. The program, originally scheduled for last night, was postponed due to inclement weather.
The program this evening will begin with a performance of patriotic music by the Richmond Concert Band, and will be followed by fireworks starting at approximately 8:30 p.m. The fireworks display is contingent on the weather and approval by the fire marshal. A rain delay until 10 p.m. is allowable, however if the fireworks cannot be started by 10 p.m. they will be cancelled for the year.
Parking will be available at City Stadium with shuttle service to and from the Dell starting at 5:30 p.m. Parking at the stadium is strongly advised as parking will not be allowed on grassy areas, medians, bridges or on many of the neighborhood streets and parking regulations will be strictly enforced. Violators will be ticketed and towed at their own expense.
The following traffic pattern changes and detours also will be in effect:

*The Boulevard will be closed to southbound traffic at Cary Street beginning at 7 p.m.
*Westover Hills Boulevard will be closed at Forest Hill Avenue to northbound traffic beginning at 7 p.m. The detour is west on Forest Hill Avenue to the Powhite Parkway or east on Forest Hill Avenue to the Lee Bridge.
*Douglasdale Road between McCloy Street and Blanton Avenue will be closed to traffic from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. as the roadway will be used for shuttle buses only.
*After the fireworks, all northbound traffic on the Boulevard will be detoured eastbound onto Interstate 195. If you are traveling east on Interstate 195 there is a .70-cent toll. The Boulevard northbound will reopen 30 minutes after the fireworks have ended.