From egg tosses to boat parades, how the Delaware beaches are celebrating July Fourth

Ringing in the Fourth of July at the beaches? The fun is hardly over.

While you may have already caught the spectacle of fireworks in Rehoboth Beach and rocked out to the Funsters on Sunday night, plenty of festive activities are in store for this year’s July Fourth celebration.

And the beach towns are ready to party.

Known as one of the biggest and busiest weekends at the Delaware beaches, this holiday is full of charming small-town traditions — as well as vibrant bar scenes and, of course, patriotic fireworks displays over the ocean and bay.

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There’s got to be a reason tens of thousands flock to the coast at this time of year, right?

While some may grumble about the spike in traffic and the food flying off grocery store shelves, there’s some kind of magic about the beaches in the peak of summer.

A lot of that magic rises to the surface today in the wide grins of children with popsicle-stained teeth or the saucer-shaped eyes of all ages as they take in the bright colors lighting up the sky.

Here are some snapshots of red-white-and-blue bliss along Delaware's beach towns.

Homegrown traditions in Lewes

The day started around 9 a.m. in this historic beach town with the traditional children’s games, ranging from potato relays to three-legged races and hula hoop competitions.

This was the first time the games returned to Second Street in two years after pandemic delays. About 500 children participated, according to volunteer Courtney Harrigan, and even the governor and Lewes mayor got in the spirit with an egg toss.

“It was good ole fashioned fun, which I think it’s all about,” Harrigan said.

One of her favorite days of the year, the longtime Lewes resident said there’s nothing quite like everybody laughing and cheering on that last kid in the sack race who pulls himself back up after tumbling toward the finish line. It’s hometown, homegrown fun.

Next, people decked out in red-white-and blue gear lined the canal for the boat parade. Eager to get the best shady spots, some people placed picnic blankets as early as 11 a.m. or noon. The boats started making their way down the canal around 1:30 p.m. Some of them took on creative themes, like the crew that dressed up in Top Gun style, and others were more classic, like the rowing crews or the small steam boat.

Before fireworks started later in the evening, people gathered around Kings Highway to watch the Doo-Dah parade.

People rallied in vintage cars, vibrant Jeeps and all kinds of decorated bicycles. Just as quickly as it started, the popular makeshift parade was over in about 20 min.

Rehoboth Beach keeps the celebration going

Even though Rehoboth celebrated Independence Day on Sunday with fireworks and the Funsters at the Bandstand, families and visitors continued to fill the beaches and boardwalk.

As expected, parking spots were rare along Rehoboth Avenue and lines stretched down the sidewalk as hungry visitors awaited French fries and ice cream.

By 6 p.m. people were getting their folding chairs ready for the special Bandstand performance featuring the U.S. Army Jazz Ambassadors.

Dewey Beach builds up to fireworks

Delaware’s favorite beach town for night life was preparing to party before fireworks launch around 9 p.m. near northbeach.

Groups of people were wearing cowboy hats with an American flag printed on them as they headed toward the bay for the fireworks.

A steady stream of young people on summer break and families made their way down Route 1, and many gathered on the porches and patios of Dewey’s restaurants ahead of the 9 p.m. launch time.

Many placed chairs on the sand as they watched the sunset and awaited the next fireworks show to close out the summer holiday.

Emily Lytle covers Sussex County from the inland towns to the beaches. Got a story she should tell? Contact her at elytle@delmarvanow.com or 302-332-0370. Follow her on Twitter at @emily3lytle.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Charming July Fourth traditions take over Delaware's beach towns