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., 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 the 248th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Across the river in Camden, 42 people hailing from Dominica, Liberia, South Korea and elsewhere became American 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.