July 4th weekend — fireworks, parades, and the best BBQ in the county

The 4th lands on a weekend this year, which means three nights of fireworks and a parade in nearly every town. Here's where we'd be.

Fireworks, ranked

• Nyack waterfront — biggest show, biggest crowd, biggest views from the marina. Get there by 7 to find a spot.
• Suffern Memorial Park — smaller, family- friendly, easier parking.
• Stony Point on the Hudson — underrated. They sync the show to music broadcast on a local radio frequency.

Parades worth showing up for

• Pearl River 4th of July Parade — the county's biggest. Two hours of bands, fire engines, and Little League floats. Bring chairs.
• Piermont's morning march — short, weird, perfect. Ends at the marina with free coffee and donuts at the firehouse.

Where to eat

Three local picks if you're not running your own BBQ.

• Smokehouse Tailgate (Mahwah-adjacent) — the brisket sandwich is the call.
• Union (Haverstraw) — not BBQ, but the rooftop is the move for the Stony Point fireworks.
• Bunker Hill Tavern — pub burgers, cold beer, friendly to families until about 9.

Coming up

August's issue closes out summer — county fair coverage, beach picks, and a lightly defensible ranking of the local ice cream spots. See you next month.