Mayor Mark A. Smith and the Municipal Council announced that the City of Bayonne has finalized plans to celebrate American Independence on Thursday, June 30, on the lower level of DiDomenico-16th Street Park beginning at 7 p.m.
John Christian and Soiree will provide musical entertainment from 7 to 9 p.m. The musicians cover popular music from the 1940s to the present. The band will play at the new municipal amphitheater, which is located at the southwestern corner of the lower level of the park.
Mickey’s Fun Rides will offer free children’s inflatable rides from 7 to 8:45 p.m. They will be stationed in the old amphitheater, which is located at the southeastern corner of the park’s lower level.
Garden State Fireworks will present a show beginning at approximately 9:15 p.m. The fireworks will run for about 30 minutes. The Garden State technicians will launch the pyrotechnics on land around field number three near Newark Bay. For safety reasons, there will be a buffer zone in both the park and the bay. No unauthorized people will be allowed inside the buffer zone. No pleasure craft in Newark Bay will be permitted within a perimeter of at least 500 ft. from the launch site, as per the U.S. Coast Guard. The Fire Department will have a boat in the bay during the show.
The Bayonne Recreation Division is providing free shuttle bus service on June 30, picking up passengers at West 23rd Street and Del Monte Drive. Shuttle bus service will begin at 6 p.m., and will drop off passengers at the lower level parking lot alongside the tennis courts. At approximately 10 p.m., the buses will pick up passengers at the same area for the return trip to 23rd Street and Del Monte Drive. Shuttles will continue to run through 11 p.m. In order to provide space for the shuttle, there will be no parking permitted on Del Monte Drive from 6 to 11 p.m.
The Boat Ramp on the lower level of the park will be closed to boats for the entire day. The Boat Ramp parking lot will be available for public parking until it reaches capacity. After that lot is full, parking on the lower level of the park will be closed to the general public. The main parking area on the lower level of the park will be closed to the general public after 2 p.m. No parking will be allowed by the firing range on the upper level of the park.
On West 16th Street, between Avenue A and the park, no parking will be allowed on either side of the street after 6 p.m. No parking signs will be posted. The signs will be removed around 10 p.m. as the event ends. Police will create a single lane for traffic on that portion of West 16th Street for crowd control purposes.
The DiDomenico Municipal Pool on the upper level of the park will follow regular operating hours on June 30, opening at 10:30 a.m. and closing at 5 p.m., weather permitting. The basketball courts on the lower level of the park will close at 2 p.m.
The park’s regular bathrooms will be closed for the event. Portable toilets will be available. Both regular and handicap facilities will be provided.
There is no rain date for the fireworks. In the event of inclement weather, call (201) 858-6330 after 4 p.m., or visit www.bayonnerec.com to check on the status of the event.