Five Things to Know for Howard County’s Fourth of July

Howard County parks and recreation officials said they expect 30,000 people to see the 20-minute display of music and fireworks this year on July 4th at the Columbia Lakefront. Here are a few tips to get through the day with fewer worries about injuries,  headaches or run-ins with the law.

Don’t be greedy by trying to reserve your patch of grass by the Lakefront a week in advance.

Phil Bryan, Howard County’s superintendent of recreation services, asks that people wait until 3 p.m. July 4 to place blankets on the grass by the lakefront to reserve spots for the fireworks display, which will start going off at around 9:30 p.m. “It kills your grass,” he said, adding that Columbia Association employees will remove your blanket if it's laid out before then. “In the past, people would do it a week in advance,” he said.

Leave the unwieldy strollers–and the pets–at home.  The event starts at 5 p.m. in Columbia, where you can find children’s entertainment and food vendors. A live band starts at 7 p.m.  It’s family-friendly, but Bryan warns that it’s not a great place for strollers, which are difficult to manipulate through crowds. It’s also a good time to leave dogs at home, he said. “They get all hyper when they hear that noise,” he said.

Have some fun, but not too much fun. It’s okay to bring a cooler to the lakefront, and government officials won’t be inspecting what’s inside, but there will be extra police patrols watching out for impaired drivers.

If you need to play with fire on the Fourth, just make sure it’s the legal kind.  In Howard County you can play with: handheld sparklers, party poppers, ignitable “snakes” and “snap ‘n’ pops.” Ground-based sparklers and other fireworks are prohibited.

Use common sense, and avoid an emergency room visit.  Dr. Walt Atha, the medical director of the emergency department at Howard County General Hospital, said the most common Fourth of July health problems are related to outdoor exposure. He advises people to stay hydrated and cool, and to make sure small children, infants and the elderly do so, in particular.  “The concern is more with people who can’t express their thirst,” he said. “Young kids or elderly folks, they actually typically get more dehydrated before you see symptoms. They may get confused, act funny or act lethargic,” he said.