Fourth of July and Beyond: the Week Ahead

For those of our readers who managed to cobble together a few days off going into the weekend, the Fourth of July holiday may have already begun.

For those of you who won't get to celebrate until Thursday (or closer), here's a look at some of the upcoming events in town this week.

For starters, where are you celebrating the Fourth of July? If you're looking to catch some fireworks or other celebrations, check out our roundup of the local festivities.

In West Deptford, the holiday also means that Thursday trash and recycling will actually be picked up by the township on Wednesday, so set your cans and bins out a day early.

The holiday will also push back the regularly scheduled township committee meeting, setting up back-to-back local government meetings on July 11 and 18. Expect a final word on the 2013 municipal budget at one of them.

For those of you looking for some fun activities with the kids after the fireworks have exploded and the grills have cooled, the West Deptford free public library will host a pair of events on Friday, July 5.

"Wacky Science," an interactive science show for guests of all ages, runs at 11 a.m., and is followed by a tie-dying lesson for middle school and high school students from 1 to 2 p.m. Registration is requested for the former, required for the latter.

Finally, the Fourth of July celebrates American independence from Great Britain—a war that was fought, like every U.S. war since, by soldiers from throughout the country. One of them comes home this Saturday: Mantua resident 1st Lt Brett Collier Foster, who will be welcomed back with a mug-n-hug at 3 p.m.

Have a great holiday, everyone.