Fireworks On The Toms River Returning For 2021

BEACHWOOD, NJ — Get ready to celebrate: the fireworks over the Toms River are returning to Beachwood for the Fourth of July.

The Beachwood Recreation Commission announced the return of the display for 2021, which first was postponed to Labor Day last year and then canceled altogether because of outdoor gathering limits in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We are looking forward to seeing a spectacular show on Independence Day next year and I hope you will be there to join with us in celebrating America's 245th birthday," Beachwood Mayor Ron Roma said last fall.

The donation-funded pyrotechnics show dates back to 1922, when flare guns were used to send the fireworks into the sky.

It draws thousands to the banks of the Toms River every July 4, from Island Heights on the north bank of the river to spots in Ocean Gate and Berkeley Township farther downstream. In Beachwood and neighboring Pine Beach — the epicenter of the event — vehicles jam Route 9 as spectators swell the towns to nearly twice their combined population of 13,000. Side streets fill with parked cars and pedestrians, who turn the riverfront beaches into mass picnics.

Boaters anchor up in the Toms River as well for a different view of the show.

"The atmosphere is electric," Roma said in 2019, as the fireworks show returned after a one-year hiatus due to an issue with the company putting on the fireworks display. "It's a good time. It's a happy day."

WOBM provides the music that accompanies the show.

The program is funded entirely by donations, and a fireworks committee — which was created in 1984 by then-Mayor William T. Hornidge and included the mayors of Pine Beach and Island Heights along with Bill Scott of Adelphia Cable to take over fundraising from the Beachwood Volunteer Fire Company — works on fundraising for it year-round to guard against times when donations diminish due to economic conditions.

Beachwood Recreation said the following vendors and food trucks plan to attend this year's event at Beachwood's beachfront, as of June 3. Check the Beachwood Recreation Commission's website here for updates.

• Chuck's Ice Cream
• Mr Softee
• Latin Bites - Puerto Rican/Cuban
• Twelve - Filipino
• Harrigan's Nuts
• John & Debbie O's - boardwalk food, such as fried Oreos, funnel cakes, popcorn, cotton candy and more
• Magical Moments Entertainment - facepainting
• Pinto Novelty

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