SALEM – has announced that Salem will hold its Independence Day celebration at the Salem Maritime National Historic Site on Derby Wharf on July 4th.
“As this will be my first Independence Day celebration as Salem’s Mayor, I am especially looking forward to joining with our community to celebrate America’s birthday.” said Mayor Pangallo. He continued, “This event does not happen without our sponsors and we are grateful for the continued support of our Skyrocket Sponsors: Amazon, Salem Harbor Station; Salem Five, and Tropical Products.
Live entertainment on the Main Stage begins at 5:00 p.m. featuring The Adam Matthew Trio, so come down early and enjoy some R&B and Funk favorites. The Salem Jazz and Soul Festival will be sponsoring this opening act, celebrating the good news that the Jazz and Soul Festival will be returning this summer to the Salem Willows Shell on August 19.
Also at 5:00 p.m. the Kids’ Space tent, sponsored by Amazon, will open. This year, little ones will be able to pick-up individually bagged crafts to take back to their seats.
Food tents will be open on site selling hot dogs, French fries, fried dough, kettle corn, and other fair favorites.
Opening Ceremonies begin at 7:15 p.m. when Mayor Pangallo and other local dignitaries will lead a parade down the wharf accompanied by the Salem Veterans Color Guard. The National Anthem will be sung by members of the Salem High School’s a cappella group Witch Pitch?.
Immediately following opening ceremonies Maestro Dirk Hillyer and the Hillyer Festival Orchestra
(HFO) will take center stage and perform a program packed with Broadway show tunes, famous movie themes, and patriotic music. This year’s featured performers are Jacyn Tremblay and Jay Daly. Talking about Jacyn, Maestro Hillyer said, “Jacyn is a star, one who shines on stage and one who can deliver just about anything you need. Her versatility extends from Jazz, to Pop, to Motown, to the American Songbook. And she can share the stage also, her harmonies, her smile, her movements all help to fit into a duet, trio or quartet situation. As a lead she commands the stage, as a co-worker, she is gracious and helpful. Not much more that I can say, except that she’s great to work with.”
Jay Daly’s career as a musician and educator spans more than 40 years, taking him around the
United States and the globe. Born and raised in the New Hampshire coast town of Hampton, Jay began playing trumpet at age eight. Today you will frequently find him in a musical theater pit orchestra. Jay is the musical contractor for the North Shore Music Theater, Beverly, MA. In this role Jay hires an orchestra for each of the theater’s shows. Jay and these pit bands have performed virtually every hit Broadway musical play spanning the past 20 years. Jay also travels widely on call to other New England and New York musical theaters. And over the past three years Jay produced his first original show concert that tells the story of the popular trumpet in America. Titled, From Stardust to Penny Lane: A Celebration of the Popular Trumpet which we will be treated to several of these arrangements on the 4th.
At 9:15 p.m., Salem ends its Independence Day celebration with a fireworks extravaganza, accompanied live by the Hillyer Festival Orchestra playing the 1812 Overture and other patriotic tunes throughout the entire fireworks display.
