we begin with keith on the parkway. >> we begin with the backdrop. take a look at this. beautiful. the art museum there. you have george washington on a horse. if you look left this monstrosity this stage. at 4:30 we'll show you. we have a backpack all access pass. boyz ii men and mary j blij performing. all of these white seats will be filled with people. the doors open at 4:30. and farther left the nbc 10 set. we'll show you erin coleman is up there and jim. they're rehearsing for a special we'll have at 7:00. we'll bring you behind the scenes like we've never seen it before from the concert to the fireworks. look at the security and the people waiting to get in now.

see the back up here. everyone waiting to get in. about 25 minutes the doors will open. people in the crowd. what is it like there, deanna? >> reporter: it's been a steady stream of people all day. i can see the stage from where you are. you can see the crowd that way. then we'll take you slowly around this way. you can see as you look toward city hall people as far as you can see. they're eating and playing game and strolling. they're waiting for the big event of the evening. ♪ from maine to minnesota, 4,000 people are taking part on floats carrying flags at the united states independence parade steps off. >> he wants to zipline and what

else? watch the fireworks. >> red, white, and blue. >> over on the parkway. >> we planned our vacation here since april. >> reporter: we found families all the way from canada. >> we're here to enjoy it and have have fun. >> reporter: when it comes to food. you can get it all. >> shredded pork. it's spicy. >> reporter: this is amazing. we love it. >> even sushi in a burrito form. >> it's good. >> the concert tonight and the fireworks, are you staying? >> yeah. >> reporter: and you can see a lot of people having a great time enjoying fourth of july here in philly. no other place they'd rather be. behind the scenes look at the group here.

we've been here all day handing out glasses to people. if you're on your way, you better get them while they last. and the concert coming up tonight. at 5:00 we'll show you some of the smaller performers, the kids that wanted to see out here at the party on the parkway. nbc 10 news. >> what a festive crowd. thank you. and our coverage continues with live with sky 10. >> reporter: i don't know that you get a better advantage point of celebration of america's 241st birthday. take a look down benjamin franklin parkway. you can see the city closed off the parkway. it's closed until 5:00 a.m. on wednesday. folks are enjoying logan circle and the fountain there. the traffic around the parkway, as you can see is pretty light. it seems people are staying away. we can still you the exits 58 --

along the vine street parkway are closed. we're about three hours from the concert. that's the latest. ♪ the july 4th celebration a freedom ceremony and parade with performers from all over the country at the parade. nbc 10 and our parent company comcast are proud sponsors of the parade. it's going to be hard to miss the dreamship tonight if you're on the parkway, check it out. crews were setting up the hot air balloon up. it's designed by the children whose parents are in the military. the dream ship works in connection with folds of honor giving scholarships to children to disabled service-members. tonight the concert with mary j blige.

you can only watch it live here on nbc 10. you can win big during the wawa america festivities. a three-night all inclusive get away from apple vacations in cancun. waw coffee for a year. a trip to watch a taping of "america's got talent" in los angeles. and a pair of two day passes to budweiser made in america. duoto our website nbc10.com or download the free nbc 10 app and we'll be announcing the winners. if you're heading to the concert and the fireworks, make sure you have the app on your phone. you'll get the complete schedule of the event, road closures, plus public transit information at your finger tips. now to an all important forecast. glen "hurricane" schwartz is with us. what can we expect for the concert and the fireworks around the area tonight? >> for most of the area, i'd say

at least 90% are pretty good. one of the places in good shape at the jersey shore. this is ocean city live. a lot of sunshine out there. it's a little on the cool side. the wind has come in off the ocean. you can see a lot of clouds stretched out that way not that way. this is where the showers and thunderstorms build. we're pretty good in the lehigh valley. there are showers and storms on the radar. some in south jersey but more in delaware. the thing is, they're not moving. so rather than a lot of places getting hit, we're into the position where some localized areas may end up with localized flooding. here is vineland is just out of it. bridgeton is just on the edge. but millville is right in the

middle of it. so there will be pretty heavy rain and ponding on the roads. milford in delaware is getting hit pretty hard. dover is just on the northern edge of this. as you can see, it's an active belt just in the last couple of hours. and more storms back to the west. but if they're not moving much, they're not moving this way. so that helps in general. here is the future cast hour-by-hour. you can see there are some suggestions of more showers building up. not so much from philadelphia north ward but especially in delaware and south jersey. those are the areas most likely to see any of these showers. on the ben franklin parkway, the forecast for the wawa welcome america the concert at 86 degrees at 6:00. there is a chance of a shower or storm at 7:00. the fireworks looking much

better. >> glen, thank you. be sure to have the nbc 10 app handy when you head out ton. you can track the storms and get any alerts if your neighborhood. 13 children are america's newest citizens. they took the oath of citizenship this afternoon. the crowd cheered after the oath was taken and the new citizens waived their flags with american pride. ♪ this land is your land this land is my land ♪ fourth of july revelers were having patriotic music and kids enjoyed games and took advantage of a huge water slide. to cool off. ♪ on the main line today, people celebrated independence day.

kids were enjoying cotton candy and playing games. the party is not yet over. there's a concert tonight at 7:30 followed by fireworks. >> that's where i used to watch the fireworks growing up. nobody is complaining about the weather down the shore. the beaches are packed with families celebrating the fourth. that's where sydney long is live this afternoon. what a perfect day to be at the shore! >> reporter: hey, denise and rosemary. perfectly sunny and not a cloud in the sky. the beautiful breeze off the ocean. take look at the beach here music pier. there was not room for one more beach towel or umbrella in the sand. you can see it hasn't changed much. people are not budging. they are enjoying everlast minute of their fourth weekend get away. talk about the place to be. nearly every morsel of sand on the ninth street beach in ocean city is spoken for this fourth. >> i like to go bogey boarding

with my brother. i like to go in the waves with him. >> reporter: they couldn't get to the beach fast enough. america's birthday today and ryan's 14th tomorrow. people are par sailing high above and boats in the distance. he's doing his favorite sport surfing. >> the waves are pretty nice today. i'll enjoy it. >> reporter: people are showing off thundershower fourth pride wearing red, white, and blue. the board walk packed to the gills. and mermaids they're scouting out birthday girls to enjoy the mermaid and pirate studio. >> it's something fresh on the board walk. it's not ice cream or pizza. it's something new. it's not hair braiding. we do hair, nails, make up. it's fun. >> reporter: they will celebrate on the water instead of the beach on the bay. >> we go in a bunch of our guys and take our kids down.

another two. barbecue all day. and load them up and head over. you can see all the fireworks from ocean story memorial. all the way down. >> reporter: take a look at the board walk. a live picture you can tell people not budging from the board walk. many sticking around for the fireworks at 9:00 p.m. some have the whole week on vacation. others came down for the day. we found one family of 15 spending the day on the beach in ocean city. we'll hear from them and how they do it and keep track of them at 5:00. for now live in ocean city. sydney long. nbc 10 news. >> thank you. new jersey beaches and parks closed because of the government shut con are back open in time for fourth of july. governor chris christie signed the new budget today. he shut down the garden state after the legislature pass the the budget. the deal calls for

$33.7 billion. t the clock is ticking for pennsylvania lawmakers to find more money to balance the state's budget. they said the $32 billion spending plan to governor will's desk on friday. they need more than $2 billion to fund it. governor has ten days to sign the bill. pennsylvania's fiscal year began saturday. it's a bittersweet day for the families of the teen killed in a road rage murder in chester county last week. the cousins of 18-year-old bianca performed during the independence day parade this morning. we spoke to them before the parade. they told us it's a day to celebrate but it's difficult not to have a heavy heart. according to police late wednesday afternoon bianca and another driver were trying to america from two lanes into one near 202 south. the investigators say the over driver pulled a gun and shot robberson in the head before

speeding off. >> we're here to support our family and trying not to think about that side of it. but it is a really bad situation. bittersweet. >> yeah. >> the other driver accused of shooting roberson. yesterday nbc 10 were at his house as people were hauling away car parts. he's charged with murder and being held without bail after turning himself in. to new information about a child-sized coffin found on a philadelphia sidewalk last night. sky force 10 was over clearfield avenue in north philly. officers were investigating. a bag of human organs was inside. they believe it was built for a child around the age of 1. they don't know if the coffin was ever buried. president trump is criticizing kim jong-un after north korea's latest missile launch. in two tweets this morning president trump wrote north

korea launched another missile. does this guy have anything to better do with his life? hard to believe south korea and japan will put up with this much longer. this wasn't just another missile launch. north korea is claiming it has successfully tested for the first time an intercontinent ballistic missile. it could have the range to reach the united states. president trump will have the first face to face meeting with vladimir putin. it's unclear if they'll discuss intelligence reports of russia's meddling in the november election. other issues that could be on the table? the situation in ukraine, syria, and the fight against isis. the two leaders will meet at the g 20 summit in germany. some protesters have gathered in hamburg. german security forces expect some 8,000 demonstrators in the city this week. 20,000 police officers will be on duty during the summit to make sure that the protests are

peaceful. investigators are looking for the cause of this fire that destroyed a house in delaware county early this morning. the flames spread through the three-story house here in providence road in aldon just before 2:00 a.m. the home next door was damaged. nobody was hurt. we're learning more about the utility worker killed when a house exploded near lancaster on sunday. 54-year-old richard budder and two other utility workers were called to investigate the smell of natural gas. a short time later, the house exploded. budder died and two other utility workers and a sewer worker were injured. two women are accused of rolling back prices at a walmart on their own. the women used the self-check out line. they didn't pay for the sandals they put inside the tote worth more than $100. they also paid 88 cents each for a travel mug and duoair mattresses. the two women were arrested and

charged. people returning from the fourth of july vacations will not be able to take a uber home from the lehigh valley airport. we checked the airport's website and it used to list uber as a way to get to and from the airport. now it doesn't. the airport cut ties with uber after realizing fewer people were paying to park at the airport. ♪ >> bells toiling at independence national historical park this afternoon. is that the liberty bell ringing? instead the liberty bell gets tapped 13 times and the kids tapping the bell are descenters of the signers of the declaration of independence. the bell hasn't been rung since 1846 because of fears the crack

could worse. the stage is set for tonight's grand finale of the wawa welcome america festival. nbc 10 is the only place you can see it. as you can see out there, plenty of sunshine. a great way to start. >> it is. hopefully fingers crossed for the evening. glen "hurricane" schwartz is tracking it. >> we're certainly not rain free. as you can see behind me, there are some showers and even some thunderstorms in parts of the area. so far not anything very close to philadelphia itself. it's also not moving. you see my finger here? it just is not moving. that's a couple of hours worth. we're not seeing any significant movement. we're seeing weakening. that's a good sign. . it it stays in one period of time you'll get flooding. in delaware it's kind of breaking up a little bit. and forming other storms. so we're not getting the same

kind of intensity right over the same spot. but milford looks like they're right in the center of it and that area getting the amount. and as you can see the heaviest of the rain is pretty heavy. 1 to 2 inches per hour, for the most part. and just south of dover it's getting closer to 3 inches an hour. there's more moisture to the west. this is going to be coming in on thursday. this is what we're watching for later tonight. the future cast is showing most of the action in delaware, south jersey. there is a possibility that one could find its way up toward philadelphia. certainly doesn't look like we're getting storms north of philly in this kind of a pattern. after 9:00 here is your fireworks time.

this even very active computer modelling suggesting dry weather for the fireworks. wouldn't that be nice compared to last year. things were not too great for the weather conditions. overnight generally dry but showers coming in for the for morning. right now 89 degrees. we have sunshine in most of the area and clouds in the lehigh valley. at the shore those temperatures 62. it's in the 70s. as we go through the festivities tonight. by the time the concert comes around there's a chance for one of the storms creeping up toward the philadelphia area. we'll keep ab eye on it and let you know on twitter and facebook if it's going to happen.

the fireworks are looking okay at this point. that's in philadelphia. by 10:00 we have the possibility of a couple of showers farther to the south. mostly lehigh valley is nice and quiet. delaware we have some thunderstorms at 6:00 and jersey shore in pretty good shape, as well. and at the shore most places having dry weather. there's a chance of something it's a couple of counties making it to cape may county as we go into the next few hours. but hour-by-hour by fireworks time we're looking pretty good. we'll see about the rest of the week coming up. >> good news. it's one place you don't want to make ab emergency landing. [ yelling ] a camera rolls as a hot air

balloon comes crashing down. it's what is lurking in the water that has everyone scared. that video is next. . the rush to return to new jersey state park was a the government shut down coming to an end. >> it's amazing it's open again. >> how this fourth of july is not free of some lingering resentment in the garden state. also ahead, hot mistake. whatnot to do if you are planning a bonfire like this on the fourth of july. and dreading their stuff. a local fourth of july parade that is hard to top when it comes to cute. those stories and more ahead on nbc 10 news at 4:00. award winning interface. award winning design. award winning engine. the volvo xc90. the most awarded luxury suv of the century.

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okay. i'm sure you want your fourth of july party to be bright, but you don't want it to light up like this one. see the guys on top of the pile of wood.

watch what happens next. lucky. in a word. teenagers pouring gas on the bonfire sent scrambling when it explodes. the video from youtube was recorded last month in italy during the annual feast of the sacred hearts celebration. we were excited but got scary real fast. >> those are the words of a man who just survived a hot air balloon crash in florida. the balloon had to make an emergency landing in a retention pond. to make matters worse, the pond is also home to alligators. the good news? the pilot and all 16 passengers escaped without any serious injury. the country's biggest birthday bash begins in less than three hours. we are live over the ben franklin parkway. look at the crowd. >> i know. looking good at the wawa welcome america. you can only see it on nbc 10.

tim furlong is on the ground with our backstage pass to the excitement. >> reporter: yeah. it's getting exciting. back here you can see a lot of work being done. a lot of road crews here are taking a little break now and getting ready for sound checks. we'll bring you back here backstage all access when nbc 10 comes right back. . it's your backyard barbecue going to be a dry one? and the fireworks forecast. we're watching the storms. i'll break it down for you on this fourth of july next. plus a night of fun ends with a trip to the hospital. you want to hear the warning from this teen before you celebrate the fourth tonight. that's new on nbc 10 news attica.

♪ ♪ award winning interface. award winning design. award winning engine. the volvo xc90. the most awarded luxury suv of the century. visit your volvo dealer today and get up to $4,500 in allowances.

♪ the line for the ice cream truck

was a long one today. the truck arrived with plenty of cool treats. people on bikes, wagons, scooters took a ride before stopping for a cone. from the suburbs to the shore. there's no shortage of beach goers soaking in the sun and sand. we take a live look at the scene in cape may. a perfect place to spend the holiday. winding down a bit. if you're hitting ben franklin parkway tonight, you'll have plenty of company. a live look as you see the stage and the crowd gathering for the grand finale of wawa welcome america festival. a concert will begin at 7:00 and followed by a fireworks show at 9:30. you can see it on nbc 10. here is a catch. we are tracking some scattered storms. you can see them here on first alert radar. this will be one of the nights when the exclusive neighborhood

weather will help you out. tim furlong is providing us with a backstage pass. >> any star sightings? >> as a matter of fact, yes. andy gonzalez, broadway singer is rehearsing over there now. doing her sound checks. you hear a lot of people saying "check, check" she started sicking and the place shut down. the woman sings like angel. she gave me one of the all access passes. i get to go wherever i want to go. and show you whatever i want to show you. right now it's like the calm before the storm. and i don't mean weather wise. it's a lot of loading in and loading out. look at this. mary j. this is her stuff. mary j blige. everybody is getting ready for what is going to happen tonight. it's going to be special. there's a lot of people roaming around including the nbc 10 crew facebook living. it's going to be an exciting night down here. it's a little warm down here now. hopefully we won't get the rain

you're talking about. i don't like the sound of it even a little bit. if you come out here you'll have a good time on the parkway. and a lot of great places you can go to get a good spot on the front. >> thank you. >> we'll let glenn take care of the weather. that's coming up. to the air now. mitch, how is it looking from high above? >> reporter: we're over the backside of the art museum. they're starting to load the fireworks. the fireworks show 30 minute show starts just after the concert at 9:30 tonight. you can see they're making the final preparation to launch 30 minutes of fireworks over benjamin franklin parkway. you can see the party on the parkway continues. a smattering of people down the parkway as you get closer to logan circle. as we're flying over, traffic is very light. it's like people knew to stay away as the roads in and around benjamin franklin parkway are closed.

if you're planning to come down here. your best bet is septa or one of the city parking garages and walking into benjamin franklin parkway. >> all right, mitch. don't miss the wawa welcome america concert tonight at 7:00. the concert is headlined by mary j blige followed by the fireworks on the ben franklin parkway at 9:30. watch it live on nbc 10. and if you're heading out to experience it all in person, make sure you bring the nbc 10 app. you can get the schedule of events, roadicalclosures and pu transportation. will the weather cooperate? nbc 10 glen "hurricane" schwartz is here. >> that's i-95. we're checking the guy -- skies and radar to see if there's anything developing because

right now in philadelphia up here we don't see any kind of showers moving in our direction. the showers near vineland pretty much have fallen apart. the ones near dover just south of dover they keep hanging in there. look at this weakening, fortunately across much of cumberland county. once again, we're in delaware between dover and milford. and we've got some pretty heavy thunderstorm. river view getting hit right now. there could be some localized flooding. these stores back to the west moving a little bit to the east. but not much. and so that's going to be the key is as to how much they move. if any of the stuff in delaware builds to the north, i don't know that anything is going to develop on top of us. but sometimes the outflow from

some storms helps create other storms. but as we go toward the fireworks time, we're not looking at any kind of storm threat, at least not now. so here we are with the forecast through the evening. the best chance of any kind of shower or storm would be right near where the concert starts and the fireworks threat diminishes. we'll have rest of the forecast coming up. >> thank you, glenn. be sure to have the nbc 10 app handy when you head out tonight. track the storms and get any alerts for your neighborhood. back in business in new jersey. state beaches and parks are open this afternoon just in time for the holiday. governor chris christie and ended three-day government shut down by signing a nearly $35 billion budget early this morning. >> the shut down earned him some unwanted attention. and ted green berg reports from the garden state. >> reporter: the reopening of

bass river state forest came with a line of cars. and july 4th visitors anxious to make a splash inside. >> exciting day. we've been dieing to get here. >> reporter: this attraction and others welcoming people back after many were kept away for the first three days of the holiday weekend. because of new jersey's government cut down. the impasse ending overnight when governor christie signed off on a budget deal. >> it's amazing. there's a lot of kids that literally they're looking forward to this. >> reporter: some, though, burned up about the stalemate and resulting closures that forced folks to change their plans. >> it's a shame that people in new jersey had to suffer because the people in trenton couldn't get organized. what a rotten thing for the hard working people that want good family fun. >> reporter: normally on this fourth of july this area would have opened at 7:00 a.m. today it was delayed until 9:00

to give the employees time to get back in place. >> hopefully we learn from what happened. with the next governor, will be a better choice. we'll make better decisions. >> reporter: by noon bass river state forest was full to capacity. grills going full force on an independence day not completely free of some resentment. ted greenberg, nbc 10 news. you saw people all over the area grilling or getting set to grill. for some that backyard barbecue may be a little less sweet this time around. plus, why the number 150 million is significant on fourth of july. they risk their lives when a gunman shot a congressman and four others. a special honor for their officers today next on nbc 10 news at 5:00. (vo) this fourth of july

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your fourth of july picnic may be a little less sweet this year. the reason pennsylvania's sweet

corn crop is not ready to harvest. the state farm bureau said many farmers markets and roadside stands will be selling sweet corn from out of state. new jersey. several farmers report the weather made it difficult to get crops ready for the holiday rush in pennsylvania. many americans will be gathering around the grill today. a lot of hot dogs will be served. how many? they estimate that americans will eat 150 million hot dogs today alone. council expects l 7 million eaten between memorial day and labor day. if you do the math that's 818 hot dogs per second. a new hot dog king is crowned. this year's king is no stranger to the crown but how he accomplished his gluttonous feat that is making headlines this afternoon. the record smashing display is next. it makes you lose your appetite for hot dogs. we've got a sun-filled

fourth for most of the area. is the weather going to hold out through barbecues and fireworks? the answer next. live location overload. coming up at 5:00. a new warning for parents as the new feature on a popular social media app shares your kids' l low -- locations in real time.

♪ ♪ as the twilight's last gleaming ♪ after the national anthem the parade in delaware county kicked off this afternoon. this, by the way, is the 102nd year hosting the fourth of july parade. and there she is! baby miss america. marching in baby parade in can

den county this morning. the babies with the help of their parents and families marched around the parking lot in their glory. trophies were awarded to best-dressed babies. on the fourth of july some might say it's tradition to over eat. >> yes. they take it to a new level here. nothing symbolizes that better than nathan's famous hot dog eating contest on coney island. y chestnut was going for the tenth mustard belt this year. he did not disappoint. chestnut outate the competition once again. he set a new record putting away 72 hot dogs in just 10 minutes. on the women's side niki pseudo earned her fourth consecutive title. she ate 41 hot dogs and buns in ten minutes. we're coming up to the forecast. we know glenn loves to watch that and go to the forecast. >> mustard, relish, ketchup. what do you want? >> why is any stomach turning a

little bit? i had no idea. i had. just one. okay. well the radar today we find things just fine from north ward. there are areas with some showers and storms especially in delaware. the story in cumberland countying a little bit of flooding. that continues to weaken. of course, that's good news. what has happened in delaware is kind of weird. some of it is building up toward dover. some of it is moving down toward georgetown. so it's kind of chaotic. at some time we have a chaotic type of storm movement they bounce into each other. they collide. and when can build to even more. keep our eye on that. and the intensity here 2 to 3 inches per hour. you don't the president to stay on top of one spot either. this area from the west is

moving in our direction from maryland. that's one of the areas that we're going to have keep an eye on to see if anything is going to move toward philly. the other thing is the winds. we have a northerly wind kind of meeting an easterly wind meeting a southerly wind. it's causing convergence. when you have convergence that forces air too rise and it creates more storms. so this pattern may get stormier over the next couple of hours. that's what the latest future weather models are showing this update every single hour. so you stay with us and another hour we'll have an update on it. here is at 8:00 it does have the threat of some showers and storms over phil. but really weakens it by the time we get to the fireworks. so even the models this are showing increases in thunderstorms show decreasing again by fireworks time. 89 degrees with sunshine right

now in philadelphia. we have a fair amount of sun across much of the area. and our neighborhoods in delaware pretty hot. greenville, mash lton all at 90 degrees. it's sure not 90 at the beaches. it's near 70 with the wind coming in off the ocean. so it's not the best beach day if you're at the delaware beaches. for the wawa welcome america for the concert tonight there is a chance of a shower or thunderstorms by the fireworks time, it is generally going to be on the drier side. and fireworks elsewhere in pretty good shape for the most part. and as you can see, lehigh valley very low chance. closer to zero. the jersey shore a very low chance. cape may is getting close to some of those showers in delaware. they could be affected. and then watch what happens as we go through tomorrow. it's not as warm.

and then here comes the rain. that comes in on thursday. some of that on the heavy side. >> thank you, glen. they don't have the marking corner on family fun this fourth of july. >> it's a 66-year-old tradition. >> you want to steer into it. >> next local kids racing in the soap box derby and other events happening up-and-down in the bushes.

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what a great way to celebrate the fourth. here is a live look at camel beach. the crowds have been cooling off

the water park here all day long. the city and the shore are attracting big crowds this fourth of july. >> there are holiday happenings across the area. nbc 10 sampled a few. across the philadelphia suburbs parades and celebrations. traditions traditions old and new as families celebrate america's birthday. as the floats and marching bands made their way down bustleton pike. dominique johnson and her son michael watched from the sidewalk. for them independence day is about freedom and family. >> my father was in the marines and i have a few family members that served over in iraq and we're mt. military. it means a lot to my family. hundreds of families packing along this parade route waiving flags, snapping photos. >> how cool is that? >> reporter: for the this family it's a brand new tradition. they moved to town with an infant son. his first parade.

>> a tradition usually consists of barbecue and pools and spending time with family. >> reporter: one tradition dates back decades. for the past 66 years -- >> steer into it and keep your head down. >> reporter: local kids have raced soap box derby cars. >> the axles are square. it goes straight down the hill. >> elizabeth costello is coaching this year. it's one of the old timy fourth of july rituals she hopes never goes away. >> i don't think it will ever change. so i couldn't imagine a fourth of july without the derby. >> reporter: the entire region celebrating under one flag in so many different ways. randy gillen hall. nbc 10 news. next on nbc 10 news at 5:00. everything you need to know about wawa welcome america. they just opened the doors behind me. i'm keith jones live here. with the party is at and where it's going down in a few hours.

we'll bring you behind the scenes next. the holiday heat certainly here. i'm tracking the latest conditions for your fireworks forecast. there's some storms out there. it's the fourth and we've had fabulous weather, plus there's still time for families to soak in all things sun and fun and how do businesses fare this holiday weekend? the story next. ♪ it's not carbonation. those bubbles are celebrating.

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fun fourth. the crowds are celebrating america's birthday. nbc 10 has your-access pass into the excitement. the budget battle is over in new jersey. parks and beaches back open in time for the holiday. face first. a battle of a different kind leaves a delicious mess for these kids. free, fun, food, and fireworks. it's the fourth of july. nbc 10 has you covered on the prefestivities around our area. wawa welcome america attracting thousands to the ben franklin parkway as we take a live look here. from the shore to the city everywhere in between. nbc 10 is keeping you in the know. good evening. thank you for being with us on this independence day. i'm rosemary conners. >> and keith jones and deanna are along the ben franklin

parkway. they're in the middle of the action for wawa welcome america and nbc 10 sydney long at the jersey shore as thousands celebrate the holiday there. and nbc 10 meteorologist glen "hurricane" schwartz has your fireworks forecast. keith, we start with you. >> reporter: i'm bouncing to the song. i like it. the sound chick is going on behind us. they're not performing full on yet. you can see they opened up the doors. people are starting to filter in. these guys are lucky here. they got front row seats. to boy z ii men and mary j blige. you see a ton of people starting to filter in. there's a second series of chairs there. people are starting to make their way to round two and further to the left you can see the nbc 10