Celebrate July 4 with these public events in Beaufort
By Delayna Earley
The Island News
Just like that, June is almost over, and the July 4 holiday is right around the corner.
The Fourth of July, otherwise known as the Independence Day, celebrates the signing and passing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 by the Continental Congress.
The document was instrumental at the beginning of the Revolutionary War because it established America as an independent nation from Great Britain.
The national holiday is often celebrated with fireworks and barbeque cookouts at home, but Beaufort has a few options if you are looking to get out to celebrate with the community.
Port Royal’s 4th of July Celebration at Sands Beach
The Town of Port Royal will be hosting a daylong celebration this year featuring food trucks, live entertainment and fireworks, according to an event posting made by the town on Facebook.
The celebration will begin at noon at Sands Beach in Port Royal with the local Boy Scouts selling hot dogs and hamburgers.
Other food vendors and a beer wagon will be at the beach serving food and beverages as well.
Food trucks from Fly Pies, Time to Eat, Shellring, Lawyers BBQ and Molly’s Fish and Chips will begin serving food at 4 p.m.
The live music will also begin at that time, with Campfire Tyler playing at the big stage from 4 to 6 p.m., Josephine Johnson playing on the small stage from 6 to 8 p.m. and the Parris Island “Dirty Boots” Brass Band will play from 8 p.m. until the fireworks.
The road to Sands Beach will be shut down to traffic, but golf carts will be allowed to be driven down to the beach.
People can park on Parris Avenue and on the side streets, but there will be some handicap parking closer to the event.
Port Royal Town Manager Van Willis said there will be one, possibly two, golf cart shuttles helping to get people from the parking area to the beach.
All golf carts will need to be gone by 8 p.m. or will have to wait until all pedestrians are gone to drive back.
Fireworks will start once it is completely dark, according to Willis, so likely around 9 p.m., and will last approximately 30 minutes.
Coolers and pets are not permitted at this event.
“It will be a very hot day and fireworks and dogs do not mix,” Willis said.
The event is free and open to the public.
Beaufort 5K Firecracker Run
The second annual HELP of Beaufort 5K Firecracker Run will be held in Downtown Beaufort on July 4 at 8 a.m.
The race will begin at the intersection of Bay and Newcastle Streets, and participants will make their way through the downtown Beaufort area and across the Woods Memorial Bridge.
Once on Lady’s Island, the participants will go down Meridian Road to Youmans Drive before turning around and retracing the route back to the finish line.
The event is pet and stroller friendly and pets are requested to be on a 4- to 6-foot lead, flexi-type leashes will not be allowed.
Packets can be picked up at Grounded Running, located at 2139 Boundary Street, Suite 108, on July 1 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Same day entries to the race will be accepted on July 4 from 7 a.m. to 7:40 a.m.
You can also register for the event as a virtual participant. Registration for that ends on June 30.
Awards for in-person participants will begin promptly at 8:45 a.m., according to the website.
Registration can be done in advance online at www.skisignup.com/race/sc/beaufort/5kfirecrackerrun.
If running does not interest you, HELP of Beaufort will also be selling chicken and ribs smoked by Shorty’s Smokin’ Butts.
You can order in advance at www.helpofbeaufort.org, stop in at HELP of Beaufort, or call 843-524-1223.
Pick-up will be at the ACE Hardware Parking Lot on Ribaut Road in Port Royal on Saturday, July 1, from 9 a.m. to noon.
Salute From The Shore
If you head to the beach on July 4, make sure to look up to the sky for the 14th annual Salute From The Shore, which will be visible from Beaufort coasts on Tuesday afternoon just after 1:30 p.m.
This year the Salute From The Shore will begin in Cherry Grove, S.C. near North Myrtle Beach at around 1 p.m., before heading down the coastline where it will end in Beaufort County.
In Beaufort, the flyover is expected to start with F-16s from Shaw Air Force Base arriving around 1:35 p.m., followed by a C-17 from Charleston Air Force Base at around 1:54.
All times are approximate, so it is recommended to arrive early, around 1 p.m., and to be patient.
Prime places to salute the aircraft as they fly overhead are Hunting Island State Park, Fripp Island and Hilton Head Island beaches, but you should be able to see them from most of the Beaufort County coast.
Keep in mind, weather conditions and mechanical issues may impact the aircraft that will fly during this celebration.
The first Salute From The Shore took place on July 4, 2010, and it offers a unique opportunity for beach-goers to salute our armed forces while they celebrate Independence Day.
For more information, go to www.salutefromtheshore.org.
Delayna Earley lives in Beaufort with her husband, two children and Jack Russell. She spent six years as a videographer and photographer for The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette before leaving the Lowcountry in 2018. After freelancing in Myrtle Beach and Virginia, she joined The Island News when she moved back to Beaufort in 2022. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.
