Wrap Up: Spectacular July 4th Festivities

By Amy Cyman + Sheridan Jones McCrae

Fireworks, rain storms, friendship, trash wheel families, and more! What can we say aside from THANK YOU to all our friends and neighbors for a most spectacular Fourth of July?!

Riverside Cocktails at Opening Party

The five – yes five – days of celebration started strong with the loveliest riverside opening party complete with live music and good company. The spread of drinks and appetizers helped to kick off the festivities in just the right way.

Parade Shenanigans

*Parade Judges, Patricia, Heather, and Jenny*

On Thursday, we witnessed an impressive collection of entries for what is surely the most quaint July Fourth parade in Baltimore City. From garbage monsters to cheerleaders, violin and cello virtuosos to Lady Trash Wheel of the Gwynns Falls herself, the parade was a pleasure to watch. An informative lecture about the oyster wars by Bill Russ gave the judges time to award many prizes to deserving participants.

Councilmember Kristerfer Burnett was in attendance and expressed his delight in the theme of the parade and the attendance of the neighborhood. We were happy to give him a bit of insight into why Dickeyville is the best kept secret in Charm City! Although the afternoon rain attempted to stop our picnic fun, it cleared in enough time to have a delayed outing complete with pie judging and pool time.

Golf Tournament

Friday’s Auchincloss Memorial Golf Tournament is detailed by David McCrae in another article here, but in short – it was a great day of golf for kids, beginners, and the “pros.”

Rubiwalksi

The Rubiwaski was well attended by runners, bikers, and walkers of all kinds and followed by a bucolic backyard brunch. Delicious egg casserole and some of the most wonderful bagels were accompanied by great drinks and even better conversation as we enjoyed the soothing sounds of the river in the background. Everyone traveled home to enjoy a few hours of relaxation before the highlight of the celebration, the dinner dance!

Dinner Dance Festivities + Rainstorm!

Tables were set in festive decorations befitting the “Dickeyville by the Bay” theme, and folks were dressed in their best red, white, and blue ensembles. The spread was as impressive as ever, and plenty of delicious options ensured we were all well fed. Once the tables were moved, The Powell Younger Project started to play their soulful music and folks stepped onto the street to dance. Although we were watching our weather apps carefully….

*Village kiddos enjoy street festivities during dinner dance*

As though perfectly timed, after the band’s first set the heavens opened up! Neighbors grabbed their tablecloths and drinks and ran for cover, but some stayed behind to clear the tables and chairs from the street in the pouring rain.

Some folks gathered in neighbors’ homes, some gathered in Barry’s studio, and some called it a night. When the band was notified that they would leave at 9:15 since it didn’t seem like the rain would let up, they reluctantly walked out onto the patio of Oddfellows to pack up. Except they didn’t.

The drummer sat down and started playing a groovy lick. The bass player sat down and joined. Then the other two members of the band sat down and the band continued to play until 10:15! Anyone who was still around at 9:30 or so came out to dance in the pouring rain, and as the weather cleared slightly some more folks came out to join. It was magical, as many events are in this neighborhood.

By 10:15 the decision was made to set off a goodly amount of the fireworks, saving some for another time when more of the children could be available to see them (thus preventing many tears!). The brave fifteen or so Dickeyvillians in attendance ooh-ed and ahh-ed at the end of a wonderful evening.

History Walk

Once everyone had dried out on Sunday, they came back for an insightful peek at the archives and a pleasant (if hot) history walk. Photos of residences, archival items found on properties around the village, and actual stories told by our resident historian Mike Blair made the archives a great event. Later that afternoon, many of our furry friends came down to meet by the dam for the blessing of the animals. Tails wagged and prayers were said.

Closing Party

The closing party proved a perfect way to end the five days. A casual but lively event with more live music and great wine and cheese was only somewhat interrupted by more rain. In addition, a slightly tense and contentious end to the silent auction ensued, with sneaky last-minute bids and eagle eyes watching over the desired items.

And just because we couldn’t stop the partying, we had to have one more round of fireworks the next Saturday. With abundant sparkers before and after, and a smaller but just as lovely round of fireworks, we managed to get in one last little bit of celebration together as a community.

Gratitude to All Who Supported the Village

*Event Organizers, Sheridan Jones McCrae + Amy Cyman*

How to say thank you for an event like this? It’s impossible to put into words, but hopefully everyone who participated can take home a memory from these days in the way that we did. Maybe it’s the pride you had when your table won the decorating contest, or the enjoyment you got from sitting in Vince Fiore’s outdoor living room and listening to a solo guitar player. Perhaps it’s running in the pouring rain while trying to carry all those wine glasses, or even hitting that shot in the golf tournament. These events are all about the collections of moments that make them great, and we thank you for being a part of it.

A final thanks to these specific people who helped us to pull this off: Chris Wharton, Deborah Plumstead, Vince Fiore, Clint and Jodi Roze, Judy Coster and Ken Klompus, Cori Bradford and Bill Ringbloom, Lindsey Anderson and Tyson Fogel, David McCrae, Matt Reaves, Bruce and Leslie Greenwald, Ashley Knight, Bill Russ, Mike Blair and Amy Fantz, Jennifer Barchi, Mark Luce, Mitch Cyman. We are grateful to you all.