Looking For Places To Celebrate the Fourth of July?

Here’s some spots to catch a party and some fireworks:

Avalon Park continues to be the best spot in Wesley Chapel to celebrate Independence Day. The annual Fourth of July Festival will be held from 5-9 p.m., and features face painters, caricature artists, a wet/dry bounce park, community performances, an apple pie bake off, vendor booths and a bike parade. The fireworks are held at 9. The celebration will be held at 5060 River Glen Blvd. Avalon Park is located 3.5 miles east of I-75 on S.R. 54. 


The 6th Annual Zephyrhills Summerfest and Fireworks Show is just a short drive from Wesley Chapel and has a day of family-free fun planned, beginning at noon with live music, hot dog and watermelon eating contests, kids dance off, live music, vendor market, bounce house and water slides, food trucks and more. Fireworks are expected to begin around 9:30 p.m. The event will be held at Zephyr Park in Zephyrhills at 38116 5th Ave. 


Boom By The Bay is the City of Tampa’s big bash, and kicks off with a boat parade along the Tampa Riverwalk at 5 p.m. The public can take part in a number of family-friendly events, food vendors and other entertainment at six locations: Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park (starting at 7 p.m.), Armature Works (5 p.m.), the Tampa Convention Center/The Sail Pavilion (5 p.m.), Sparkman Wharf (3:30 p.m.), Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park (7 p.m.) and Bayshore Boulevard (7 p.m.). Fireworks will be coordinated from each location beginning around 9:15 p.m.

The 46th annual City of Temple Terrace Independence Celebration is a great option for New Tampa residents looking to put some Boom! into their celebration. A parade through Temple Terrace starts at 10 a.m., with the actual Fourth of July festivities kicking off at 6 p.m. on the first fairway of the Temple Terrace Golf & Country Club, with live music, children’s activities and food trucks. Fireworks start at 9:15 p.m. The golf course is located at 200 Inverness Ave.

Busch Gardens has been doing nightly fireworks since Thursday, but on the Fourth of July will hold an Independence Day Extended Fireworks Show. The 9:15 presentation of “Spark!” promises an “an extra patriotic finale.” Busch Gardens is located at 10165 N. McKinley Dr.

Check Out These Local Events For the 4th!

There are lots of options for area residents looking for some local Fourth of July fun and fireworks, but the best option may be the annual celebration right on S.R. 54 at the Avalon Park West (APW) community.

For the sixth straight year, APW will hold its Fourth of July celebration, which is expected to draw thousands of festive frolickers — and many from the surrounding areas, including Tampa — as it continues to grow in popularity.

“Last year, we had 2-3,000 people, which was definitely the biggest crowd we ever had,” says Marielle Fernandez, APW’s marketing and events coordinator. “It’s grown every year.”

While APW is a growing mixed-use community with roughly 2,000 residents, Marielle says more than half of those that come for the fireworks are actually not APW residents. 

The celebration is scheduled for 5 p.m.-9 p.m. on Thursday, July 4, and as usual the event will include a host of activities to keep families entertained.

While last year’s celebration featured a pie bake-off, this year it will be called a “Patriotic Bake-Off” and will include pies, brownies, cakes and cookies. 

There also will be a bike parade (strollers and wagons welcome) beginning at 6 p.m., with kids showing off their decorating skills, and Fernandez says there will be more food trucks, vendors and community performances than ever.

“I think the response has been really great,” Fernandez says. “It’s nice having something for the community to come together and celebrate. And, we’re happy we’ve become that hub where they come to enjoy the Fourth of July.”

You have to register for the bike parade and bake-off. To do so, and for more information, visit AvalonParkWest.com. 

DINNER & A SHOW!: For those who are interested in a sit-down dinner followed by fireworks, our friends Anass El-Omari and his wife Susana Herrera of Omari’s Grill at the Lexington Oaks Golf Course (which is closed for renovations) are hosting a delicious, family-friendly, open-to-the-public celebration on the 4th, with hamburgers and BBQ chicken on the grill (plus side dishes) served from 5 p.m.-9 p.m.

There also will be live music, a premium alcohol cash bar and what Susana promises will be an impressive professional fireworks display. Reservations are definitely suggested, because brunch events at Omari’s Grill have been known to sell out and people love barbecues and fireworks for the 4th. The cost is just $14.99 per person (ages 13+), with kids ages 4-12 just $5.99. 

Please note that no outside food or drink will be permitted during this event. For reservations, call (813) 907-7270 or see the ad on pg. 39 of this issue for more information.

BOOM!: If you think bigger is better, then you might like this — The City of Tampa will unveil a new Fourth of July celebration of its own.

After back-to-back busts with celebrations organized by private vendors, Tampa is taking over the festivities this year.

New Mayor of Tampa Jane Castor announced shortly after being elected that the city will host a “Boom by the Bay” fireworks spectacle, which she says will be “sparking a brand-new tradition in Tampa.”

Tampa’s Fourth of July celebration will feature four fireworks displays spanning 2.5 miles of the city’s majestic waterfront, from Armature Works to Riverfront Park to the Tampa Convention Center and over to Sparkman Wharf.

There will be activities for the family and live entertainment as well.

“I want to kick off my time in office with a big bang,” Mayor Castor said in a video posted to social media announcing the event.

You can text the word BOOM to 888 777 to receive special notifications about “Boom by the Bay.”

Wesley Chapel’s Professional Fireworks Spectacular Returns To Avalon Park West!

Not too many small towns can say they have their own Fourth of July fireworks display but, thanks to Avalon Park West (APW), Wesley Chapel can.

For the fifth consecutive year, APW will host a celebration that, in past years, has drawn crowds in the thousands.

And, for the third straight year, it is the only place in Wesley Chapel to catch a professional fireworks display, since the Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel stopped hosting its Freedom Fest celebrations at the Shops at Wiregrass.

But, it’s not just about fireworks at Avalon Park West, a growing mixed-use community located off S.R. 54, adjacent to (and technically a separately-developed part of) New River Township. The party actually begins at 5 p.m., with a host of family-friendly activities leading into the rockets’ red glare, which is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m.

“Our Independence Day Celebration is meant to bring all of the region together for an event they will remember,” says Stephanie Lerret, senior VP at Avalon Park Group, the developer of APW. “We take great pride in providing unique opportunities to play in Avalon Park West.”

The activities include:

• A pie bake-off.

• A bike parade, with kids showcasing and decorating their bikes.

• Wet & dry slides, for kids of all sizes.

• Dozens of vendors featuring crafts and other goods

• Food Trucks

Last year’s crowd was estimated at 3,000 people, and Marielle Fernandez, APW’s marketing and events coordinator, says “we expect even more this year.” Fernandez adds that there also will be bounce houses and community performers this year.

“The idea is to bring the community together,” she says. “This event is for them.”

For additional information, visit AvalonParkWest.com.

 

Wesley Chapel Rotary’s 2015 ‘Freedom Fest’ Is The Best One Yet!

*Fireworks 2By Gary Nager

Wow, congratulations to event co-chairs Jeanine McLeod and Dr. Pablo Rivera and my entire Wesley Chapel Rotary Club (which meets Wed. at noon at Stage Left on S.R. 54 in Lutz) for hosting an incredibly successful fourth annual Freedom Festival, held again on July 3 at the Shops at Wiregrass mall.Continue reading