With Independence Day quickly approaching, there are a lot of festivities planned for the Town of Madison, including the fireworks on Friday, July 3 and the Independence Day Parade and the 33rd annual Concert on the Green on Saturday, July 4.

Fireworks

The Town of Madison’s annual fireworks display will be held on Friday, July 3 at 9:30 p.m., with a rain date of Sunday, July 5, in the waterfront area off West Wharf Beach. Viewing areas for the fireworks include the Surf Club, East Wharf Beach, and West Wharf Beach.

Parking is limited, but free shuttle bus service will be provided to the intersection of West Wharf Road and Surf Club Road beginning at 5:30 p.m. Parking lots for the shuttle service include Stop & Shop, the railroad station on Bradley Road, and the Route 79 commuter parking lot.

The Madison Fireworks Organization, Inc. (“MFO”) was founded in 2002 as a non-profit organization dedicated to organizing and raising funds for Madison’s annual Independence Day fireworks display.

While fiscal challenges had earlier led the Town of Madison to eliminate funding for the fireworks, following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, many Madison residents and businesses felt it was important to continue to the annual tradition. A group of individuals formed the MFO as a non-profit organization and obtained federal 501(c)(3) tax- exempt status in order to collect private donations and fund the annual fireworks display.

The Madison Police Department has taken several steps to ensure road safety before, during, and after the fireworks. No parking will be allowed at posted areas of West Wharf and Surf Club Roads. Permanent and temporary no-parking areas will be enforced and vehicles found in a hazardous location will be subject to towing at the owner’s expense.

The West Wharf Beach parking lot will be cleared of vehicles from 10 a.m. to noon and again at 5 p.m. Vehicles may be towed at the owner’s expense.

Vehicles parked at East Wharf Beach will not be allowed to leave the parking lot until all pedestrian traffic has cleared the area, but parking will be allowed on the north sides of Middle Beach Road, Middle Beach Road West, and along Island Avenue (due to a large number of planned parties).

The following roads will be closed to vehicles in the direction noted below at approximately 8 p.m.: West Wharf Road (southbound), Surf Club Road (westbound), Middle Beach Road West (westbound), and Island Avenue (southbound). This closure may occur earlier if vehicle/pedestrian traffic levels are greater than normal.

Following the fireworks, police Officers will direct traffic out of the Surf Club and other venues. Traffic leaving the Surf Club will be directed to form two outbound lanes. Vehicles in the northbound right lane of West Wharf Road will exit onto Route 1 eastbound (right); vehicles in the northbound left lane of West Wharf Road will exit onto Route 1 westbound (left)

There will be no inbound traffic into the Surf Club until authorized by the senior police officer on-scene. No southbound traffic will be allowed on West Wharf Road.

For updates on Madison’s July 3 fireworks display, visit the Madison Fireworks page on Facebook.

Independence Day Parade

The Exchange Club of Madison hosts the 36th annual Exchange Club of Madison Independence Day Parade in downtown Madison on Saturday, July 4 at 11 a.m. The theme for the parade is “A Salute to American Education” with longtime local educators Bill and Ann Clemmons named as grand marshals.

“We try to pick something each year we can rally some community spirit around,” said Mike Catalano, chairman of the parade for the last 12 years. “Last year we did first responders, which people really responded to, and this year we came up with the idea to honor our education system here that we’re pretty proud of.”

Those participating in the parade should meet in the Stop & Shop parking lot between 9:30 and 10:45 a.m. The parade will wind through the center of town and make its way to the Surf Club. Catalano is expecting more than a dozen performance groups and anywhere from 50 to 70 community groups.

“We try to get as many groups out there to participate—every year we get a few new ones and we have a pretty good history of people coming back year after year,” said Catalano. “It’s a great event and one of the best attended Fourth of July parades in the state that we know of. It’s a coming together of a lot of the people in the community for the Fourth [of July] celebration and 36 years of tradition that plays out well every year.”

Concert on the Green

The 33rd annual Concert on the Green will be held on Saturday, July 4 from 4 to 5 p.m. on the Madison Town Green. The free concert features the Shoreline Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Caribbean band Moto, and the Wallingford Symphony Orchestra.

There are limited reserved seating areas for patrons who donate $70 or more. Alcohol is not permitted and space cannot be reserved before July 4 at 6 a.m.

For more information, reservations, or to volunteer, call Frank Kling at 203-215-9396.