New Castle County, Del. — During the highly anticipated “Delaware 250” anniversary, communities across the state faced-off with a once-in-a-century heat wave to hold their annual July 4 events. The National Weather Service issued an Extreme Heat Emergency Advisory for Delaware on July 1 that warned of “dangerous heat” through July 4. Most locales, including Hockessin and Newark, decided to move forward with their planned holiday celebrations, with participants considering adjustments to their plans after the “serious” NWS alert.
Mark White, a lead organizer of the Hockessin Fourth of July Festival, reached into a cooler to hand out bottles of ice-chilled water and Gatorade to parade participants as they checked in. He spoke with the Call about the decision to not cancel the event. White said participants were told, “Don’t march if you don’t want to,” and pointed out the event was an all-volunteer operation. He described the Hockessin festival as having “the shortest parade route in Delaware,” and said the route was lined with trees and downhill. White said the festival asked its 2,200 social media followers if the event should be cancelled, and received an overwhelming response in favor of continuing with the annual plans. He only received 5 responses requesting to cancel the parade.
During the 3pm Hockessin parade, most observers were watching from shaded areas along Old Lancaster Pike. Several watchers offered parade participants free icy water bottles as they walked. Participants were observed fanning themselves and each other with available items such as plastic yard signs and political campaign give-aways. Marchers eagerly encouraged the children lining the sides of the route to douse them with water guns, and one family offered the participants a run-through of sprinklers that they were playing with in their front yard.
Kyle Grantham, a candidate for County Council who marched in the Hockessin parade, was happy that his team made a decision to move forward with their plans despite the heat wave. He said one of his campaign volunteers noted a current temperature of 98℉ on her phone at the start of the parade, but he was “amazed” by the turnout. “I thought that people weren’t going to come out in the heat,” Grantham told the Call, “but when the energy is that high, I guess you don’t feel it.”
Later in the day, umbrellas and tents shielded attendees of the City of Newark’s annual fireworks celebration from the sun as they watched musical performances at the University of Delaware Athletic Complex. A representative of the Newark Parks & Recreation Department told the Call that the city did not alter the plans for their celebration due to the Heat Emergency because of the event’s later 6pm start time.
Luann D’Agostino, a Newark-area candidate who tabled the event, said she had scaled back her plans for the day, including participating in the Hockessin Fourth of July Festival, to a “bare minimum” because she was concerned about the well-being of her campaign volunteers. D’Agostino and her husband handed out cardboard fans to voters and their families at the Newark event, an item that proved popular with many spectators trying to relieve themselves from the heat in front of Delaware Stadium.
Some participants decided to withdraw from the festivities in their entirety. Dr. Rob Bahnsen, a medical professional who is currently a candidate for State Representative, said in a statement that he was “struggling with the notion of asking my team and supporters to endure an extreme heat warning,” and was going to “play it safe” despite sponsoring the Hockessin festival. More than one area allocated and marked for an organization was observed by the Call to be empty as well at the City of Newark’s fireworks event.
The National Weather Service recorded daily high temperatures exceeding 100℉ at Wilmington Airport in New Castle on July 2, July 3, and July 4. According to DelawareOnline, this marked the first time a heat wave of that intensity was recorded 3 days in a row in Delaware since 1936. NWS ended the Extreme Heat Emergency Advisory at 8pm on July 4 as rain and thunderstorms began to roll through the area.
