Thursday, October 1, 2026
Rockville Centre will celebrate America’s 250th birthday with an evening of music, fireworks and community gathering when the village presents “Fireworks and Music” at Pettit & Barasch Fields, highlighted by a Grucci fireworks display and live musical programming reflecting both patriotic tradition and popular culture.
Mayor Francis X. Murray said this year’s celebration carries special significance as communities nationwide commemorate America’s semiquincentennial.
“It’s the best country in the world,” Murray said. “We’re so happy to live here, and we thank all the people who protected our freedom over the years. We love our democracy, and Rockville Centre always has this fireworks celebration. It’s going to be fantastic this year.”
The July 11 event will feature patriotic standards, Sousa marches, Broadway selections, film music and classical works.
This year’s program again features the South Shore Symphony with music from “Hamilton” and “A Chorus Line,” Richard Rodgers Broadway compositions, and film scores from “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Apollo 13” and “Moana 2.” The repertoire also includes works by George Gershwin, Duke Ellington and Irving Berlin, along with a selection from Bizet’s “Carmen.”
“The members of the orchestra really find this as an enjoyable way to relax after a full season of very intense concerts,” South Shore Symphony President Kathy Miller said.
The Grucci fireworks display will provide the evening’s finale, bringing the celebration to a dramatic close over Pettit & Barasch Fields. Synchronized to a curated musical soundtrack, the display blends brilliant color, rhythm and sound into a spectacular finish.
This year’s event, however, will carry added emotional weight following the death in February of Wayne Lipton, the former South Shore Symphony president and principal cellist whose vision helped transform the fireworks concert into one of the village’s signature annual traditions.
The tradition began in 1993, when former Mayor Eugene J. Murray invited Lipton, then president of the South Shore Symphony, to have the orchestra perform during Rockville Centre’s centennial celebration. The collaboration proved so successful that it soon became an annual event.
Mayor Francis X. Murray said Lipton’s dedication extended well beyond helping launch the tradition. In 2009, when the fireworks display faced cancellation because of financial concerns, Murray, then-Deputy Mayor Mary Beth Hayes, Lipton and other community members raised $25,000 to keep it going.
“We will miss our friend Wayne Lipton, who meant so much to us in guiding us through these fireworks for over 30 years,” Murray said. “I miss Wayne so much.”
Miller said this year’s performance reflects both celebration and loss for orchestra members.
“This is the first time we’re doing a fireworks concert without Wayne,” she said. “It is bittersweet, but we also know how important the symphony was to him. We’ve always called ourselves a family, and there’s a strong commitment to continuing what he helped build.”
His widow, Karen Lipton, said family members, including his grandchildren, will attend.
“We pray for good weather,” she said. “It’s going to be a very mixed evening for us and his family. We want to honor his legacy.”
The rain date is July 12.
