Delegates hope to celebrate “Interdependence Day” with fireworks at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor

If all goes according to the plans of organizers, the climax of General Synod 2017 will come with Baltimore’s traditional Fourth of July celebration at the Inner Harbor.

During one of Synod’s “theological reflections,” the Rev. Damaris D. Whittaker, pastor of Center Church-First UCC in Hartford, Conn., urged delegates to celebrate “Interdependence Day” this holiday, stressing our sense of connectedness.

At 7 p.m., the Commodores U.S. Navy Jazz ensemble will perform contemporary hits at the Inner Harbor Amphitheater at Pratt and Light Streets. At approximately 9:30 p.m., the skies above the Inner Harbor will light up with a 20-minute show produced by the New Castle, Pa., fireworks company Pyrotecnico, timed to patriotic and contemporary music. Organizers will be keeping an eye on weather radar, however, as there is a chance of thunderstorms that could impact the schedule.

According to Visit Baltimore, the fireworks can be viewed from several locations downtown an in surrounding neighborhoods, including Federal Hill, Locust Point, Fell’s Point, Canton and Harbor East. 

Sara Fitzgerald, a Synod newsroom volunteer, is a member of Rock Spring Congregational United Church of Christ in Arlington, Va.