Don your red, white and blue; apply copious amounts of sunscreen; and prepare to stand for the national anthem: It’s Fourth of July weekend at the Delaware beaches.
Festivities for the quintessential summer holiday stretch on in the days before and after Tuesday. In fact, it’s perfectly acceptable to start wearing your wacky, tacky U.S.A. T-shirts and accessories now. Another thing to start before the weekend: practicing patience when it comes to traffic and parking.
The beach towns host fireworks on different days, as well as parades, concerts and kids activities. We have all of that information for you below in Delaware Online/The News Journal’s weekly guide to the Delaware beaches, as well as weather predictions, beach replenishment updates and anything else you need to know. We’ll have it all again next week, so check back.
Weather
The National Weather Service is predicting temperatures over 80 degrees from Saturday on, and a chance of showers or thunderstorms every afternoon from Friday through Tuesday.
Showers and storms were predicted last weekend too. Some areas had short storms. This reporter never saw a drop.
Summer storms can come and go quickly. Plan for the best, be prepared for the worst and always check the latest forecast.
More:‘Zeke is such a force.’ 3-year-old Lewes boy recovering after lawnmower severed his leg
Another thing to keep an eye on: air quality. The Division of Air Quality declared Thursday a Code Red air quality day due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. Conditions are expected to improve Friday afternoon, but check back here to be sure.
Beach closures
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is finishing up replenishment at the Delaware beaches. Work is continuing in Bethany Beach and South Bethany, but will shut down Friday through Wednesday.
More:Delaware issues a Code Red air quality alert for Thursday due to Canadian wildfires
The only replenishment-related beach closures you need to worry about are where the equipment will be consolidated. In Bethany Beach, that’ll be between 1st Street and Central Avenue, and in South Bethany, between South First and South Third streets.
Work has already been completed in Rehoboth Beach, Dewey Beach and Fenwick Island. More on that here.
There’s another beach closure this week, unrelated to replenishment.
For the first time since 2016, a piping plover has nested at the beach at Gordon’s Pond in Cape Henlopen State Park, just north of Rehoboth Beach.
About 800 feet of beach have been closed and fenced off to protect the endangered species. It can’t be driven through, so the surf-fishing reservation system had to adjust for that.
Speaking of surf-fishing…
Surf-fishing
Coming to the Delaware beaches for the first time since last summer? Heads up, there have been big changes to drive-on surf-fishing rules.
You can walk onto the beach and fish with only a fishing license. To drive-on, you need a permit, which you can get at most state park offices.
More:Beach season is near. Here’s your guide to parking at the Delaware beaches for 2023.
To drive-on on a weekend or holiday, you now need a $4 reservation. For the Fourth of July weekend, that’s Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday. If you hope to drive-on Monday, go early, the beaches will likely reach capacity.
As of Wednesday afternoon, all the Cape Henlopen State Park drive-on beaches and 3R’s in Delaware Seashore State Park were sold out for Saturday and Sunday. There was still plenty of availability at the other drive-on beaches. Reservations can be made at destateparks.com/surftagsales.
The reservation system opens at 11 a.m. Thursday for Tuesday, July 4, reservations.
More:Employers stepping in to provide housing for seasonal workers at the Delaware beaches
Events and activities
First, on Saturday, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Lewes will host an all-day art show to benefit numerous nonprofits. You’ll find it on the streets surrounding the church, at 200 Second St., and in the adjacent M&T Bank parking lot.
Now, prepare to medicate your dog. Here are all the Fourth of July fireworks and other activities at the Delaware beaches this weekend.
Lewes: Tuesday, July 4, is a big day in Lewes. It starts at 9 a.m. with old-fashioned children’s games on Second Street. At 1:30 p.m., a boat parade begins at Roosevelt Inlet and cruises down the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal to the Savannah Road bridge.
The Doo-Dah Parade is “a Lewes Independence Day staple,” according to the Go Fourth Lewes website. There is no official organizer for the truly whimsical event. There are floats, cars, bicycles, farm vehicles, walkers and a whole lot of red, white and blue.
Anyone who wants to participate just lines up along Manila Avenue before strolling or marching down Savannah Road. There’s no official start time, either, but it’s usually between 4 and 5 p.m.
Fireworks are at dusk, launched from a barge in the Harbor of Refuge. The Savannah Road bridge closes at 7 p.m., while the Freeman Highway bridge closes at 8 p.m.
Cars east of the bridges won’t be allowed to cross for at least half an hour after the show to allow pedestrians to get off the beach safely. The Go Fourth Lewes website advises going early and staying late.
You can watch the fireworks from certain parts of Cape Henlopen State Park, but get there early. Way early. There are also many locations west of the beach, even west of the canal, where the fireworks will be visible. See if your site is one of them at gofourthlewes.org.
More:Looking for Delaware, Maryland fireworks? Here is our list for 4th of July shows
Rehoboth Beach: Rehoboth has opted to host fireworks at 9:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 2. They’ll be launched from the beach at New Castle Street. The beach between Philadelphia and Stockley streets will close at 9 a.m., as will the boardwalk between Stockley and Hickman.
The display will be “sandwiched” by a free show from The Funsters at the Rehoboth Beach Bandstand. They’ll play at 8 p.m. and again after the fireworks cease.
You won’t be able to enter Rehoboth Avenue by car after 7:30 p.m. Get to town early to find parking or plan on parking on the outskirts and hoofing it. (Wear comfortable shoes and bring strollers for kids, trust me.) Better yet, take the DART bus or the Jolly Trolley.
Immediately after the fireworks, there will be a ton of traffic leaving town and on Coastal Highway. You can sit in it, but it would probably be more fun to stay for part two of The Funsters show or have a late dinner or drink.
Dewey Beach: On Monday night, watch the movie “National Treasure” with the fam at 8:30 p.m. on the Dagsworthy Street Beach. Highway One hosts fireworks out of Rehoboth Bay at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, July 4.
Bethany Beach: Sadly, Bethany Beach was forced to postpone this year’s Fourth of July celebration due to beach replenishment.
However, there are still many other celebrations happening in Bethany Beach over the weekend.
The 5th Annual Firecracker 5K will take place downtown, starting at 7:15 a.m. Sunday, July 2. That evening, the 287th Army Band will play at the bandstand at 7:30 p.m. The animated movie “Rumble” will play at the bandstand at dusk on Monday, July 3.
More:Will the battle between Fenwick Island mayor and outgoing police chief end up in court?
July 4 festivities start with the “Sand & Sea in ’23” parade at noon, which includes a large variety of marching bands and musical acts. It traverses Pennslyvania and Atlantic avenues between Cedarwood Street and Ocean View Parkway. Fan favorites Mike Hines & The Hook will play the bandstand at 7:30 p.m.
Check out kids’ performers Mr. Jon (6 p.m.) and The Little Mermen (7 p.m.) at the bandstand on Wednesday, July 5, and the U.S. Army Downrange band at the bandstand at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 6.
You’ll find more info on all these events at townofbethanybeach.com.
Shannon Marvel McNaught reports on Sussex County and beyond. Reach her at smcnaught@gannett.com or on Twitter at @MarvelMcNaught
