Philly’s July 4th celebrations bring together longtime and returning Philadelphians, plus dozens of new U.S. citizens

In Philadelphia and across the region on Thursday, people gathered in parks for picnics, fired up grills for backyard barbecues, and turned out for patriotic parades to celebrate the nation’s birthday.

In Center City, folks lined Market Street to wave flags and watch the “Salute to Independence” parade, complete with colonial re-enactors, drum lines, and dance troupes.

The day marked 248 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In two years, the Fourth of July will be a much bigger production in Philadelphia, which will play a major role in celebrating the nation’s semiquincentennial. But this year, Independence Day remained a strong draw.

Ogontz resident Leonard Wilburn came out to attend the Wawa Welcome America celebration and concert on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway with his wife, Cassetta, and their daughter, Wanda. Arriving in the afternoon, they staked out a shady spot as Whitney Houston’s “I Want to Dance With Somebody” blasted from speakers.

Wilburn, a military veteran, has survived two strokes and had only recently left the hospital, his wife said. The family was there to celebrate the Fourth — but also Wilburn’s improved health.

”He didn’t want to stay in,” she said, laughing.

Wanda Wilburn was looking forward to seeing the fireworks and also performances by Ne-Yo and Kesha.

“That’s my girl!” she said of Kesha.

Lamont Anderson, who goes by Monty G on social media and is known for his upbeat rhymes about Philly’s sports teams, made it to the Parkway decked out in an enormous Phillies “P” necklace and a baseball cap with a small Liberty Bell attached to the brim.

”It’s the best day ever. A day of freedom, fun things, and seeing everyone out here come together,” he said. “No other city is better than our city. Every event, every function — we just make the best of it. That’s how we do here. It’s the best city in the world.”

Fans from social media had been coming up to snap photos with him.

“I just love it,” he said. And he was excited to see “my man Ne-Yo” perform later.

Earlier in the day, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker spoke outside Independence Hall about civic pride and politics before a crowd of several hundred people, many bedecked in red, white, and blue, who gathered in the nation’s birthplace for a Celebration of Freedom event. The mayor, sporting high heels with the stars and stripes on them, asked attendees to “join me in fighting for our fundamental rights.”

She presented Dawn Staley, three-time NCAA women’s basketball champion head coach and North Philadelphia native, with the first-ever “One Philly Award,” an honor that the mayor plans to give out annually to Philadelphians who embody “civic-mindedness, trailblazing leadership, and a focus on serving the community.”

» READ MORE: Mayor Cherelle Parker gives Dawn Staley first-ever ‘One Philly Award’ and criticizes the U.S. Supreme Court at July 4th event

Across the river in Camden, 42 people hailing from Dominica, Liberia, South Korea, and elsewhere became U.S. citizens in a naturalization ceremony. They did so aboard the USS New Jersey, which recently returned to the Garden State’s side of the Delaware River after being dry-docked for refurbishments at the South Philadelphia shipyard.

On a bright sunny day, thousands of others flocked to the Jersey Shore, lining the beaches to savor the sun and sand.

And thousands of revelers headed to the Parkway for the grand finale of the city’s annual celebration, which was scheduled to end with a fireworks display.

Marilyn Alvarado perched on the base of a Parkway statue as she waited for the concert to begin. Originally from Philadelphia, she and her family moved to York, Pa., nearly a decade ago. They visit occasionally, but decided to make their first trip to the city in about a year for the Fourth of July festivities.

”I love Philly,” she said. “I love being back.”

Massie Pettee and John Dunnigan, of Ocala, Fla., brought their six-month-old son, Grayson, to the Parkway — plus a pop-up tent, folding chairs, and plenty of snacks and water to beat the heat. The afternoon was hot and humid — festival-goers clustered around misting stations, and a man nearby jokingly asked a staffer pushing enormous bags of ice to hand him some.

Grayson, meanwhile, smiled and laughed in the shade of his tent.

”At this point, everything is about the baby,” Pettee said, smiling.

The couple is living for the next six months in the Philadelphia suburbs for work; this is their first time attending the fireworks show in the city.

”It’s the Fourth of July in Philly — a historical city!” Dunnigan said. “We had to come.”