Communities across western Massachusetts will celebrate Independence Day Tuesday with parades, fairs and fireworks displays.
In Springfield the festivities will kick off at 6 p.m. at Riverfront Park in the city's downtown area. There will be food vendors, face painters and music all leading up to the fireworks display around 9:30 p.m.
Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said the "Star Spangled Springfield" event is a longtime tradition and is family-friendly.
"I'm looking forward to seeing everybody down there. I come down with my family and friends. It's great family entertainment," he said.
Sarno said public safety is a priority for the event, including traffic control.
"We have tens of thousands of people that come downtown from all across the region. We've never had an issue. There'll be plenty of public safety down there," he said.
Just days before the event Sarno and U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D- Springfield, were in talks with Amtrak after the company said it would not allow pedestrians to enter the park through a railroad crossing off State Street. The crossing provides the easiest access for pedestrians, especially for anyone with American with Disabilities (ADA) accessibility requirements.
On Friday the city filed a formal complaint with the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities to require Amtrak to fulfill their contractual obligation to open the crossing for the event.
On Monday Sarno confirmed the opening off State Street will be accessible to the public.
"Congressman Neal reached out to Stephen Gardner, the CEO of Amtrak...and I even reached out and got a message to [transportation] Secretary Pete Buttigieg because being a [former]mayor, he knows how much these major events mean to a community," he said.
Sarno said all of Amtrak's safety protocols will be followed.
"We do have access to events there, as long as we are following all the proper protocols, which we we do. So I'm just glad it's going to be ironed out and I look forward to having a great time," he said.
East Longmeadow and Pittsfield will both host Fourth of July parades while in West Springfield residents can drop by the high school for games, entertainment and a cookout.
As for the weather forecast for the day's festivities, this Independence Day is shaping up to be a wet one for many across New England. Showers and thunderstorms are possible during the day on Tuesday, which could put a damper on outdoor activities, such as parades and picnics although the weather should clear by the time fireworks displays kickoff.
Alan Dunham, with the National Weather Service, said conditions have been ripe lately for wet weather.
"We've had a warm front and a continuing southwest flow of air bringing very muggy conditions. There's a lot of moisture in the air — that's why a lot of these thunderstorms are producing heavy rain," he said.
The timing of the recent precipitation may have been less than ideal, but Dunham said the rain over the last few days has been beneficial. Many locations have been running below average over the last few weeks.
