numbers guide to July Fourth parades and fireworks

A special flag leads the Independence Day Parade in Severna Park.

Thirty feet wide and 60 feet long, this mammoth Stars and Strips is dedicated to Airman Nathaniel McDavitt, a 2011 graduate of Severna Park High School who was killed in 2016 when the hangar where he was working on B-52 engines collapsed in high winds.

On Thursday, there are three main July Fourth parades across Anne Arundel County — 10 a.m. in Severna Park , 1 p.m. in Galesville and 6 p.m. in Annapolis . Here is a guide to these holiday events by the numbers.

Severna Park

Entries in this year's Severna Park Parade.

Number of volunteers who will hold the Nathaniel McDavitt Memorial Flag as it is walked down the two-mile parade route, starting at St. Martin's in the Field Episcopal Church and finishing at Cypress Creek Park.

Number of MOPARs, factory-designed Chrysler kit cars often used in stock and circle track racing.

The number of folds needed to get the McDavitt flag back into a blue triangle with white stars. The folds represent the original 13 colonies.

Political candidates set to march. "I'm in the Severna Park parade," said Tom Casey, who is vying for Circuit Court Judge.

Privately owned fire trucks in the morning parade. One asked to be at the front to make it to Annapolis for its evening parade.

Projected temperature in degrees Fahrenheit when the Galesville Independence Day Parade begins at 1 p.m.

Estimated number of people registered to start at Lerch Creek Drive and complete the 1 1⁄2-mile loop down the small town's Main Street. Number of political candidates marching isn't counted.

"We don't turn people away when they just show up," said Jim Chandler, organizer of the parade in the small community south of Annapolis. "We just point them where to stand."

Horses guaranteed to march, sort of. Could be more, could be fewer.

"Lots of people own horses here, but they don't like to march when it's too hot," Chandler said.

The possibility of rain, measured as a percentage, forecast for the start of the Annapolis parade. If the parade is canceled because of weather, the city will announce the news on its website at 3:30 p.m. It will not be rescheduled.

Units set to march in Annapolis, traveling from Amos Garrett Boulevard down West Street, Church Circle and Main Street for the finish at City Dock.

Political candidates doing the Annapolis walk. U.S. Senate rivals Angela Alsobrooks and Larry Hogan, 3rd District congressional candidates Sarah Elfreth and Rob Steinbrenner, school board member Joanna Bache Tobin, and Circuit Court judges Christine Celeste and Ginina Jackson-Stevenson.

Political units: 40 Maryland Democrats will walk behind Alsobrooks. Ranked Choice Voting will be there. Republican Women of Anne Arundel County will have a banner and is likely to support Hogan, although the Make America Great Again float — complete with marchers in Donald Trump and Joe Biden costumes — will not.

"My overall impression is that the people who will be part of the Trump MAGA float are my personal friends and, in general, are not supportive of Larry Hogan," MAGA float organizer Frank DiTraglia said.

Musical entries, including a band with the Falun Dafa marching unit, a chorus, and the small fife-and-drum unit that follows the Annapolis Sons of the Signers aboard their private fire truck.

Dead celebrities: Elvis for President will march in Annapolis. He will be backed by three vehicles and 15 supporters.

"The origins of it go back 10 years," said Elvis, known off the parade route as Matt Berry. "My wife and I have been residents of Annapolis for about 30 years. We were sitting in a pool of sweat, and we said to each other, 'Ninety percent of the participants in this parade are politicians. Next year, Elvis is running for mayor.'"

Since then, sporting a leftover Halloween costume and backed by a band of friends, he's appeared as Elvis for mayor and governor. It will be his first outing as Elvis for president.

"More people have said, 'I wish this were real with the choices we've got,'" Berry said. "It's just fun."

Other parades, fireworks, and concerts around the county include: . the Glen Burnie Improvement Association fireworks at Sawmill Creek Park, which was scheduled for Wednesday night but with Friday night as a rain date, at 9 p.m. Wednesday; Admiral Heights Bike Parade , 10 a.m. Thursday; Cape St. Claire July 4th Celebration , 10 a.m. Thursday; the Shady Side 4th of July Parade , 10 a.m. Thursday; The Eastport 4th of July Kids Parade at 10:30 a.m. Thursday; and the Mayo American Legion Parade at noon on Saturday.

Before the bang

After the two-hour parade, downtown Annapolis will fill with people grabbing dinner and drinks before the fireworks show. With units dispersing at City Dock, lots of people will head to the Susan B. Campbell Park along the water for a concert by the Annapolis Junction Big Band.

Playing together since 1991, the band includes up to 17 pieces and is fronted by vocalist Monica Gillam. Free.

Annapolis hired Pyrotechnico Fireworks of New Castle, Pennsylvania, for this year's display. The company will fire 1,000 shells into the air — a show typically lasting 20 minutes (18 for the show; two for the finale) and costing $24,000.

The best viewing spots are open to debate, but the city closes Main Street and the Spa Creek Bridge to traffic from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m. Other spots include City Dock, various street-end parks and, if you're lucky, a boat with good running lights and a sober pilot. Free.

If the fireworks show is canceled because of weather, the city will announce it on its website at 3:30 p.m. It will be rescheduled for Friday.

For details on parking, shuttle buses and a cooling center, check the city website .

Tour to Thomas Point

The Thomas Point Shoal Light is a screw-pile lighthouse that still stands at its original location on the Chesapeake Bay. Watermark Tours offers cruises off Annapolis on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through September that provide tours of the historic structure.

Tickets are $13 for adults, $18 for children under 11.

Mo' Better Blues

OK. I try not to list the same event two weeks in a row, but after beating Virginia Beach 5-1 last weekend, the Annapolis Blues pro soccer team will close out its season against Grove City at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

The Blues are atop the East division in the Mid-Atlantic Conference of the NPSL heading into the playoffs. A victory would lock in home-field advantage. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for children.

First block bash

The first weekend of the month brings hundreds of people to the first block of West Street for the — you guessed it — First Sunday Festival .

Art, craft and food vendors line the block, restaurants are open for dining, and music plays all day long on three stages. Sunday's lineup includes the Groove Spot Band and Show, Johnson Male Chorus, Timmy and Tambo, Nate Finn, Mike Waskey and Michael Kocher. Free admission.

Judy Collins deserves the title of musical legend. Fifty-five albums over five decades, one Grammy, two platinum albums, 11 singles on the Billboard Top 100 and performances that are instantly recognizable as either the height of pathos ("Both Sides Now"), the depth of schmaltz (Stephen Sondheim's "Send in the Clowns") and just plain out there ("Farewell to Tarwathie" accompanied by humpback whales.)

Now 88, the folk singer is at Rams Head on Stage with Oakland Rain, performing work from "Spellbound." The 2022 album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Folk Album. $75 plus fees.