The Chinese may have invented fireworks, but, on Saturday, July 3 Guilford County Parks will be the ones shooting them off.
On that day, the county’s parks department will host the “14th Annual Fireworks Extravaganza” at Northeast Park.
Set your maps app to “3441 Northeast Park Dr. in Gibsonville” to get you there.
County residents will be happy to see the fireworks show return after being canceled in 2020 due to pandemic restrictions.
A Friday, June 4 announcement from Guilford County announced that, since the State of North Carolina has lifted all indoor and outdoor capacity requirements – and masks and social distancing are no longer required – the annual Fourth of July event will take place.
This year’s event is billed to be better than ever: It will feature a longer fireworks display using bigger shells.
The fireworks are scheduled to start at about 9:30 p.m.
Explosions in the sky don’t come cheap and they apparently aren’t covered by your tax dollars because there will be an admission fee, albeit a very reasonable one. The cost of entry is $5 per car and $1 per walk-up. Advance ticket sales aren’t available.
If you can’t come up with 5 bucks, the good news is that you can find a spot around the perimeter of the park and see the same show that the paying customers get to see.
In NE Park that evening, there will be food trucks, music, mini-golf and carnival rides.
Guests can also visit the aquatic center during the day.
What visitors can’t do is ride the train at NE Park because it is no more. The Kiddie Train at NE Park – known as “The Little Engine That Couldn’t,” was finally scrapped after the county spent a decade trying to get it running. Though the total cost of the effort is unknown, the train that virtually never ran probably cost county taxpayers north of $700,000 when all is said and done, including removal.
But enough about the train.
As for the July 3 event, there is still space for food trucks and other vendors. However, the number of spaces is limited “to reduce vendors providing the same or similar services or products.”
To inquire about cost and availability, those interested can email Tanya Flower at tflower@guilfordcountync.gov or call 336-641-2070.
Guilford County Parks will release more details about the event as they become available.
