Fourth of July Fireworks provide recession proof fun: National show locations and DC parking guide

June 29, 6:20 PMExotic Car ExaminerKae Davis

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Fireworks over the Inner Harbor: View from Downtown Baltimore's Ritz Carlton Residences 

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Fireworks & Festivals in the Nation's Capital

Washington, DC

• America's 2009 Independence Day Parade
  Date: July 4, 2009
  Location: Constitution Avenue between 7th and 17th Streets, NW in Washington, DC
  Start Time: 11:45 a.m. 
• A Capitol Fourth - 2009 Concert:
  Date: July 4, 2009
  Location: West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol
  Time: 8 - 9:30 p.m.
  Airs Live: PBS 8 - 9:30 p.m. ET
• Smithsonian Folklife Festival:
  Dates: June 24 – June 28 and July 1 - July 5, 2009
  Location: The National Mall
  Hours: 11 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. with concerts, special events and dance parties extending into most evenings.
• 4th of July Fireworks on the National Mall
  Fireworks Time: At dark, usually around 9:15 p.m. Rain Date: July 5th
  Launch Location: The fireworks are launched from the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and light up the sky over the Washington Monument.
• Best Places to View the National Mall Fireworks: It is always recommended you arrive early in the day to guarantee parking, no matter what year's fireworks show you are attending.
  • U. S. Capitol
  • Lincoln Memorial
  • Jefferson Memorial
  • FDR Memorial
  • East Potomac Park
  • Anywhere along the National Mall between 14th Street and the Capitol
  • Aboard a cruise along the Potomac River
  • According to About.com, "Spectacular views of the fireworks can also be seen from the Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jima) in Arlington, Virginia near the Rosslyn Metro station and areas along the Virginia side of the Potomac River that can be reached from George Washington Memorial Parkway. You may park at the Gravely Point parking lot, which is about a quarter mile from the 14th Street Bridge."

National "4th of July" festivals and holiday fireworks shows give patriotic car lovers exciting places to go. Whether you put the top down on your new Ferrari California roadster and cruise out early to find that perfect beach parking lot or waterfront spot to watch the sparkles illuminate the sky, you roll downtown in your Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder to find the perfect paid spot in a lot near a park area to share a picnic dinner and nice bottle of wine, or you hop into a classic roadster to do a little night time road trip touring while taking it easy and watching the lights, you are sure to find helpful holiday planning information listed in the article, which includes a list of Grucci fireworks shows across the nation and tips for drivers planning to park outdoors for the Independence Day night. Comments about local shows in your area are welcome at the bottom of the page! Happy Fourth, America!

PATRIOTISM IS RECESSION PROOF IN AMERICA

Though the recession in the Unites States has financially forced many shows across the nation to cancel or scale back, Americans can still expect the spirit of the day to carry us on. "Some larger displays have been trimmed a bit but nothing that will have a major impact on the industry," said Julie Heckman, executive director of the American Pyrotechnics Association in an interview with ABC News correspondent Beth J. Harpaz, travel writer for the Associated Press.

Harpaz went on to describe the state of the nation when it comes to fireworks displays, stating that many of the larger shows in major areas will still go forward full throttle with regards to spectacular glamor. The timing of the [2009 Fourth of July Independence Day] holiday, on a Saturday, has actually "helped the fireworks industry" in some places, said M. Philip Butler, spokesman for Grucci, the famous fireworks company. "Whenever it's a Saturday Fourth of July, we will have as much as a 50 percent increase in demand...", a statistic that bodes well for American citizens eager to get out and share the night parking with family and friends.

In addition to local, city, state, and national shows, the sale of private fireworks are expected to hit an all time high, as cash strapped families elect to bring a little extra home front fun to the night in regions of the country where the weather has not been too dry. Car owners who are ready to cruise and park should remain vigilant to the guests activities in the areas surrounding their car to avoid any paint damage mishaps should an amateur but legal fireworks display in any parking lot accidentally take aim at a collector vehicle rather than stay put, spin in an open area, or fly right.

If you are interested in a low cost way to add to the holiday fun, consider decorating your car. Fun window signs can be made and set in exotics that describe family history as it relates to Americana. If you drive a car made by Fiat Group, say things like, "My family arrived in the United States from Italy through Ellis Island in _______ (insert year)" or "Italian American inside". If you are driving another high line European luxury car, you might say, "I might rather be driving on the Autobahn, but I live here as a citizen of the United States with PRIDE".

You can also contact your local USO and ask if they have car flags, magnets, or peel away static cling decals to decorate your ride in red white and blue to show support for American military troops and Veterans. For a small donation, you can order the items; for a larger donation, you can ask for a box of items like flags and window decals to share with neighborhood friends, family, or to give as holiday thank you gifts to business clients (with your business card attached, of course).

CLICK HERE FOR YOUR LOCAL WEEKEND WEATHER FORECAST

LOCAL FIREWORKS DISPLAYS AND MAJOR CITY SHOW SCHEDULE

To meet the public demand to see fireworks across the nation and to accommodate parking crowds, many local shows are even being scheduled for Friday July 3rd; some cities are opting to do fireworks shows as early as July 1st and 2nd, as well. As such, knowing your local and city show schedules for the holiday weekend may provide you the opportunity to make two "date night out" drives to share patriotism and the romance of being out for a drive at night under the crackling booms of the fireworks and stars.

Read the list below for links to Independence day celebrations in the major metropolitan areas and popular coastal resort areas near you. If we're missing your area, feel free to add a link to your local special event or community festivities thing-to-do in the comments section below; these are just some of the places our Italianizzato Club members have recommended people be for the festivities.

Fireworks by Grucci

Friday, Jul 03, 2009
Omaha Royals & World Herald   (world class)
Place: Omaha, NE

Friday, Jul 03, 2009
Southampton Fresh Air Home Benefit   (national class)
Place: Shinnecock Bay, Southampton, NY
Info Contact: Ticket Information: 631-283-5847

Friday, Jul 03, 2009
Westport Police Athletic League   (state class)
Place: Compo Beach, Westport, CT

Saturday, Jul 04, 2009
Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa   (world class)
Place: Atlantic City, NJ

Saturday, Jul 04, 2009
Key Biscayne Over The Atlantic   (world class)
Place: Key Biscayne, FL

Saturday, Jul 04, 2009
Boynton Beach On Intercoastal   (national class)
Place: Boynton Beach, FL

Saturday, Jul 04, 2009
Brookhaven Star Spangled Blast   (national class)
Place: Bald Hill, Farmingville, NY

Saturday, Jul 04, 2009
Caesars Palace   (national class)
Place: Las Vegas, NV

Saturday, Jul 04, 2009
Dallas Fair Park Fourth   (national class)
Place: Fair Park, Dallas, TX

Saturday, Jul 04, 2009
Delray Beach Over The Atlantic   (national class)
Place: Delray Beach, FL

Saturday, Jul 04, 2009
Hickam Air Force Base MWR   (national class)
Place: Hickam AFB, HI

Saturday, Jul 04, 2009
Spirit of Springfield   (national class)
Place: Memorial Bridge, Springfield, MA

Saturday, Jul 04, 2009
Station Casinos   (national class)
Place: All around the Valley

(Green Valley, Red Rock, Santa Fe, Sunset, Texas/Fiesta)

Las Vegas, NV

Saturday, Jul 04, 2009
Hilton Hotel & Casino Fourth of July   (state class)
Place: Las Vegas Hilton - Las Vegas, NV

Saturday, Jul 04, 2009
Leonia Sports Booster Carnival   (state class)
Place: Leonia, NJ

Saturday, Jul 04, 2009
Nantucket Independence Day   (state class)
Place: Jetties Beach, Nantucket, MA

Saturday, Jul 04, 2009
New Rochelle's "Spark The Sound"   (state class)
Place: Five Island Park, New Rochelle, NY

Saturday, Jul 04, 2009
Pearl Harbor Navy MWR   (state class)
Place: Pearl Harbor, HI

Saturday, Jul 04, 2009
Port Chester Independence Day Celebration   (state class)
Place: Port Chester High School

Saturday, Jul 04, 2009
Pulaski County's July 4th   (city class)
Place: New River Valley Fairgrounds, VA

Saturday, Jul 04, 2009
Radford 4th of July Celebration   (city class)
Place: Bisset Park, Radford, VA

Saturday, Jul 04, 2009
City of Portland   (state class)
Place: Portland, ME - Eatern Promenade

Saturday, Jul 04, 2009
Primadonna   (national class)
Place: Las Vegas
 

4th of JULY PARKING REMINDERS FOR THE CAR CROWD

Whether you plan to park and remain with your car or intend to lock up and leave the car while you wander around in the crowd, having your car packed properly for any outdoor event can oftentimes make the difference between having a long and tiring day or having a relaxed and refreshing summer day out and about. When heading to any festival or fireworks show, remember to pack the car with outdoor parking and tailgate party essentials like:

a heavy comforter or moving blanket to set out under a large sheet; a tarp for under blankets on wet ground (blue ones found at Home Depot or Lowes are very inexpensive and work well);

sunblock and sunglasses if you plan to go early before sunset;

Deep Woods OFF or other heavy duty bug spray or insect repellent for dusk and after the sun goes down;

bottled drinks and and small trash bag for debris from any food products you may want to bring to snack on;

flashlight should you choose to walk parking areas or festival grounds in order to socialize with who's around.

Comfortable beach chairs are recommended as bring-along items for those drivers choosing to bring larger cars. Local drug stores often times have summer sale discounts going on during the holiday -- just be sure two chairs will fit in the back seat or in the trunk area of the car; if not, football stadium padded seat chairs are available at your local sporting goods store and two fit behind the seats of almost any exotic or can be stored on the passenger floorboard.

a small medical kit with Band-aids, Neosporin, cortisone cream, Aspirin, Tylenol, and Benadryl to help with any minor illness symptoms or irritations that come up from being outdoors, walking too much, or being in the sun

camera with fully charged batteries and an empty chip or abundance of film (and tripod to place to hold digital cam or video recorder aimed at the fireworks so you can relax and enjoy watching the show without having to look through lenses to see if you captured that perfect photo)

cell phones and car chargers

Please note: though exotic car drivers and auto collectors  don't recommend drinking and driving, they do recommend drinking a bottle of fine wine responsibly and sitting quietly with friends while passing holiday day-off time. If you are taking advantage of the relaxation, be sure to have a designated driver in place for the night(s).

CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE ITALIANIZZATO CLUB FOR SOCIAL NETWORKING WITH EXOTIC CAR FANS