Tryon Palace will host a new Fourth of July "Independence Night" event at the North Carolina History Center, located on New Bern's historic riverfront, Monday, July 4, from 6-9:30 p.m.
"We want to give families a fun and safe place to spend the Fourth of July," said Tryon Palace Executive Director Lee Johnson. "That's why we created Independence Night as an evening with music, food and entertainment for children from the best vantage point in the city for watching fireworks on the Fourth."
"Independence Night: A Fourth of July Celebration at the North Carolina History Center" features a buffet of hamburgers, hot dogs and an ice cream bar, live music from Billy Holton and the Soul Shakers, face painting and a riverfront view of the downtown New Bern fireworks.
Tickets are $10 for the general public, $5 ages 6-10, and free for ages 5 and under. Tickets for Tryon Palace Foundation members will be free while supplies last. Admission includes tickets to the buffet. Additional food will be available for purchase from Dank Burrito, 2014 winner of Mobile Cuisine's National Food Truck Rookie of the Year.
Visitors are encouraged to bring blankets and chairs. No pets or coolers are permitted. This is an alcohol-free event.
Parking for this event will be available at the North Carolina History Center at a cost of $5 for each vehicle and available on a first-come, first-served basis. To purchase tickets or parking passes in advance, call 252-639-3524.
This event is sponsored by the Harold H. Bate Foundation and the Tryon Palace Foundation.
Tryon Palace's annual Glorious Fourth will go on throughout the day Monday, July 4, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visitors can enjoy free access to the Tryon Palace gardens, a reading of the Declaration of Independence from the Governor's Palace steps at 11 a.m., and live 18th-century music from Thursday Morn' and the Tryon Palace Fife and Drum Corps.
"Our North Carolina Patriots made Tryon Palace the first seat of the revolutionary assemblies after the last British governor departed this post for the safety of a British warship at Wilmington," added Johnson. "There is no better and more fitting place anywhere in this state for us to celebrate North Carolina's role in our War for Independence."