A Fun-Filled Fourth

By Brianne Harrison

For many people, this will be a long weekend, which makes it an ideal time to hit the Jersey Shore to relax and (hopefully) soak up some sun. There’s little risk of boredom once the sun goes down: there are plenty of events planned to keep you busy this Fourth of July weekend.

If you head down early, you can get things started on Friday when Chelsea Palermo performs live jazz and blues at Tim McCloone’s Supper Club in Atlantic City. Enjoy drinks, dancing, and beautiful ocean views on the boardwalk. If you’re going to be in the LBI area, you may want to check out the Chocolate Bar Surf Soiree at the Chocolate Bar LBI, which will feature the launch of Joe Freeman’s Old Soul Surfboards and the opening of a new surf photography exhibition from Matt Schwartz’s She Hit Pause Studios. You can continue to pay homage to beach culture on Independence Day with an evening of Surf Art, Film, and Fireworks at Lightly Salted Surf Mercado in Asbury Park. Check out the new exhibit of surf photography by Ryan Tatar at 7, a screening of the Australian surf documentary “Under the Sun” at 8, and a fireworks display at 9.

If you’re in AC, the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa and Harrah’s Resort will join forces to present a July 4th Fireworks Extravaganza. Take in the sights from the two hotels starting around 9:15.

If at any point you want to beat the heat and escape into a cool theater, there are a number of shows on in Atlantic City this weekend, including Cirque Dreams Pandemonia at the Trump Taj Mahal—a show that unleashes “inventive acrobatics and free-ranging whimsy in a playground of imagination and Technicolor atmospherics.” Shows are 3:30 and 8 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays and best of all (in this economy, at least) tickets are surprisingly affordable, ranging from $25-35. Also affordable is the Carnival of Wonders, playing at the Trump Plaza theater. Carnival of Wonders combines magic with comedy and spectacle to keep the surprises coming. Tickets are $25.

If you’re a history buff or just want to learn something new, What Were They Thinking? 160 Years of Bad Taste is currently running at the Carriage House Gallery at the Emlen Physick Estate in Cape May. Featuring fashion follies throughout history, the show will have you constantly wondering: Just what were they thinking? Also in Cape May is Historic Cold Spring Village, which is hosting an Independence Day Celebration July 4 and 5, featuring a 19th century baseball game, patriotic programs, live music, and the history of Old Glory.