Swarthmore Borough's Independence Day Celebration

There’s a full roster in store for the Fourth in Swarthmore this year! Join in on the annual SRA bike race, the children’s parade, the Boy Scouts and community groups parade, the fire company demonstration and much more!

Schedule of Events

• 8:15 AM: Bikers will assemble at the corner of Princeton and Park avenues for the Great Bike Race
  
  

• 8:30 AM: SRA Great Bike Race will begin
  Helmets required.
  
  

  • Race 1 — Boys, 7 years

  • Race 2 — Boys, 8 years

  • Race 3 — Boys, 9 years

  • Race 4 — Girls, 7 years

  • Race 5 — Girls, 8 years

  • Race 6 — Girls, 9 years

  • Race 7 — Boys, 10 years

  • Race 8 — Boys, 11 years

  • Race 9 — Girls, 10 years

  • Race 10 — Girls, 11 years

  • Race 11 — Boys, 12 & 13 years

  • Race 12 — Girls, 12 & 13 years

  • Race 13 — Boys, 6 years

  • Race 14 — Girls, 6 years

  • Race 15 — Boys, 5 years (may use training wheels)

  • Race 16 — Girls, 5 years (may use training wheels)

  • Race 17 — 4 years (may use training wheels) - Must be 4 years old by July 4

  • Race 18 — 4 years (tricycle only) - Must be 4 years old by July 4

  • Race 19 — Boys & Girls, 13+ years
    
    

• 8:30 AM: Silver Dollar Band will start to assemble in front of Borough Hall
  
  

• 8:45 AM: Lions Club Children’s Parade Registration
  
  Borough Hall parking lot. Receive entry number and ribbon. Ten minutes prior to your event’s scheduled start, gather with your group.
  
  

• 9:45 AM: Lions Club Children’s Parade

  • 9:45 AM: Pets

  • 9:55 AM: Decorated Tricycles and small Bicycles

  • 10:05 AM: Decorated Bicycles

  • 10:15 AM: Decorated Floats & Baby Carriages

Award presentation will occur immediately after each category in front of the Reviewing Stand

• 10:00 AM: Parade forms in front of the Co-op
  
  

• 10:30 AM: Parade led by Boy Scout Troop 112, Swarthmore Police.
  
  Other community groups include, but are not limited to:

  • Antique Cars

  • Swarthmore British Car Club

  • Swarthmore Senior Citizens Association

  • Lions Club

  • Swarthmore Centennial Foundation

  • Rotary Club

  • Recycling Committee

  • Area churches

  
  Please bring sign or banner identifying your organization. Route is Park Avenue to Princeton Avenue, where a police car will guide marching groups back to Borough Hall via sidewalks. Color Guard leads cars back to Co-Op via Lafayette Avenue and proceeds to reviewing stand. Group Marshalls: Jane Billings and Ellen Pierce.
  
  

• 10:45 AM: Program

  • Emcee: Billy Hodges
    Estimated starting time depends on the number of participants in earlier activities

  • National Anthem: sung by the Silvertones with the Silver Dollar Band

  • Pledge of Allegiance: Boy Scout Troop 112

  • Dismissal of Color Guard: Billy Hodges

  • Greeting: Marty Spiegel, Mayor of Swarthmore

  • Swarthmore Recreation Association Volunteer of the Year Award: presented by Colleen Murphy

  • Rotary Club Community Service Award: presented by President Maria Zissimos

  • Rotary Club Vocational Service Award: presented by President Maria Zissimos

  • Swarthmore Centennial Foundation Scholarship Award: presented by Monica Kruse

  • Theodore L. Purnell Student of the Year Award: presented by President James Ryan

  • Lions Club Citizen of the Year Award: presented by President Jim Ryan

  • “America, the Beautiful” sung by the Silvertones
    
    

• 11:15 AM: National Bell Ringing ceremony, Borough Hall. The bell will be rung 13 times by the award winners.
  
  

• 11:30 AM: Swarthmore Borough Independence Day Group Portrait
  
  

• 11:40 AM: Swarthmore Fire Company Fire Demonstration
  
  

• 11:50 AM: FREE Fire engine rides will begin at the reviewing stand
  The Lions Club will give out popsicles and American flags in the Borough Hall parking lot
  
  

• 12:30 PM: SRA Annual Cris Hansen Town Horseshoe Tournament at Little Crum Creek Park
  Doubles with single elimination
  
  

• 12:45 PM: Fire Company Water Fight at Umoja Park
  Yale & Rutgers avenues

Throughout the morning the Rotary Club will offer free lemonade. The Fire Company will be selling hot dogs and soda from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. In the event of heavy rain, an abbreviated program will be held in the Fire Hall at 10:30 a.m. Please check status at swarthmorerecreation.org