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Getting The Most Out Of 4th On Flagler In West Palm Beach! · Inside West Palm Beach

15:31:33
Hi everyone, I'm Gerry Marcelo and
15:31:35
welcome to the City
15:31:36
Center podcast from West Palm
15:31:38
Beach.
15:31:39
Summer is here and it's just about time
15:31:41
for South Florida's
15:31:42
largest free outdoor independence
15:31:44
day celebration.
15:31:45
We're talking about 4th on Flagler where
15:31:47
fun, food and fireworks
15:31:49
all happen on the city's
15:31:51
waterfront.
15:31:51
We'll talk about what's in store and how
15:31:53
you can get the most out of this year's
15:31:55
celebration.
15:32:02
Joining me today is Mary Penick,
15:32:04
marketing and community
15:32:04
events manager for the City
15:32:06
of West Palm Beach.
15:32:07
Mary, welcome.
15:32:08
Thank you, Jerry.
15:32:09
Thanks for having me.
15:32:10
Now, I understand this is the
15:32:12
36th year for 4th on Flagler.
15:32:15
It wasn't as big in its
15:32:16
early days, or was it?
15:32:18
No.
15:32:19
At some points it was actually longer.
15:32:21
It was.
15:32:22
And then now we're to the point we're at
15:32:24
for the last, oh I'd say since 1995.
15:32:28
Back when it started, it was kind of like
15:32:30
it was today actually from 6 to 10 p.m.
15:32:34
And there was a period of time in the 90s
15:32:36
where we went actually from 10 a.m. to 10
15:32:38
p.m.
15:32:39
Wow.
15:32:40
And it's pretty hot.
15:32:43
It is 4th of July after all, right?
15:32:44
It is 4th of July.
15:32:45
And we would see our crowds mostly
15:32:47
between 6 and 10 p.m.
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So at one point we
15:32:52
decided to work smarter.
15:32:55
Not hotter.
15:32:56
Not hotter, exactly.
15:32:58
And have the event when the majority of
15:33:00
the folks could come out.
15:33:02
Sure enough.
15:33:03
So obviously it's a celebration of the
15:33:06
Independence Day of our grants country.
15:33:11
What is it that makes it so special and
15:33:13
such a popular event
15:33:15
here in South Florida?
15:33:16
You know, well like all of
15:33:17
our events, it's a free event.
15:33:20
And I think the beauty of our events is
15:33:22
it really, when you say
15:33:24
the word community, that
15:33:25
word unity is right in it, which of so
15:33:29
much importance for this
15:33:31
day in particular, right?
15:33:33
Independence Day.
15:33:34
And we really do bring
15:33:35
together all of the community.
15:33:37
You see all ages, all demographics.
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And you know, for one day we're all out
15:33:43
there to celebrate the same thing.
15:33:45
And that is our independence and honor
15:33:47
those that have provided that for us.
15:33:50
Well said.
15:33:50
Well said.
15:33:52
What can folks coming out expect to see?
15:33:56
So it's just a great day.
15:33:57
We hope everybody comes out.
15:33:59
It's best to get a little early, get here
15:34:01
a little early for the
15:34:02
better parking spots,
15:34:04
right?
15:34:05
We have three stages of entertainment.
15:34:07
So there's something
15:34:08
going on from the minute.
15:34:10
Right at six o'clock
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there's a lot going on.
15:34:13
The New Day USA stage is the main stage.
15:34:17
We have a great Zach Brown tribute band.
15:34:20
Nice.
15:34:21
And then we have that stage, which is
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very patriotic music,
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of course, that he sings.
15:34:27
And then we have the Informa Market
15:34:29
stage, which is in Cruz
15:34:31
Park, has a really fun dance
15:34:33
party band called Mischief.
15:34:36
And then the Super, the Palm Beach County
15:34:37
Supervisor of
15:34:38
Elections stage, which is, that
15:34:41
was a mouthful, is in
15:34:43
the Meyer Amphitheater.
15:34:45
And it's part of the BNT Impact Windows
15:34:48
and Doors Kids area.
15:34:51
So we have the whole community involved.
15:34:53
So there's music for pretty much anybody
15:34:56
who wants to come by.
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Totally.
15:34:59
Totally.
15:34:59
Fantastic.
15:35:00
Yeah.
15:35:00
Okay.
15:35:01
So we've got music.
15:35:02
Tell us, is there food available?
15:35:05
Is there places to eat?
15:35:06
Sure.
15:35:07
There's going to be plenty of food
15:35:08
vendors throughout the site,
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food and beverages, because
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of course we want to celebrate with those
15:35:13
great, those all part
15:35:14
of 4th of July, right?
15:35:17
We have the kids area, like I mentioned,
15:35:20
and it's always, the
15:35:21
Meyer is the perfect spot
15:35:22
for that, because it's
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kind of its own area.
15:35:25
It's super easy for the
15:35:27
parents to watch the kids in there.
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So we have all kinds of inflatables and
15:35:32
giant games, as we have had in the past.
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Plus we have our Parks and Rec crew out
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there with their kids,
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Independence Day Crafts and
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other games that they're doing.
15:35:45
So that's a super fun area that the
15:35:48
parents have really
15:35:48
enjoyed bringing kids to.
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And then...
15:35:52
I see that's really nice, because there
15:35:54
are other events that
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take place which are more
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to older adults or younger
15:35:59
adults, not so much to kids.
15:36:01
This is really a family event.
15:36:03
Oh, totally.
15:36:04
This has been, 4th on Flagler has been a
15:36:06
family event since its inception.
15:36:09
And that's who you should be
15:36:10
with on 4th of July, right?
15:36:12
Right.
15:36:13
You'll definitely see a lot of families.
15:36:15
Of course, they're all coming out for the
15:36:17
culminating experience.
15:36:20
And that being the military honor
15:36:21
ceremony that we do right
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before the fireworks, about
15:36:25
a quarter to nine.
15:36:26
And then of course, it is a 4th of July.
15:36:28
Tell the library a
15:36:29
little bit more about that.
15:36:30
What actually goes down during that?
15:36:32
The military honor ceremony.
15:36:35
So we do that right before the fireworks.
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And this year we'll be honoring all
15:36:39
branches, as we have in
15:36:41
the past, all branches of the
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military.
15:36:43
We'll have representatives from each
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branch of the service.
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We're working with the local West Palm
15:36:48
Beach Elk's Lodge, who
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will be helping us with
15:36:51
the production by
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providing those veterans for us.
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And then we do a flag lowering.
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We're going to lower the flag to a live
15:37:03
performance of the Star
15:37:04
Spangled Banner, which is, it's
15:37:06
always very special moment.
15:37:07
Very moving, no doubt.
15:37:08
It is.
15:37:09
It is.
15:37:10
We'll get into the highlight, the finale
15:37:13
of the evening, pretty much, which is the
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fireworks.
15:37:16
Now, you mentioned flags earlier.
15:37:18
Tell us a little bit about the program we
15:37:20
have going on right
15:37:21
now, the Respect the Flag
15:37:23
partnership.
15:37:24
Sure.
15:37:25
So again, with the West Palm Beach Elk's
15:37:27
Lodge, West Palm 1352, we
15:37:30
decided to get with them.
15:37:31
They have a very patriotic mission.
15:37:34
And it involves respecting the flag.
15:37:38
So we thought it would be a great journey
15:37:40
with them this year
15:37:41
to partner, to educate
15:37:43
the public on how to respect the flag,
15:37:47
take care of the flag,
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display the flag, and then
15:37:50
how to retire those flags that are, you
15:37:54
know, a little torn and
15:37:55
tattered, because there
15:37:56
is a very much a proper way to do it.
15:37:59
So we are going to collect those types of
15:38:02
flags that are ready
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for retirement at all
15:38:04
of the West Palm Beach Fire Department,
15:38:07
the fire stations
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throughout the summer, as well
15:38:10
as at the Elk's Lodge with a little bit
15:38:11
of limited time frame
15:38:13
daily at the Elk's Lodge.
15:38:16
And then at the end of the summer, they
15:38:17
will take care of
15:38:18
retiring those flags properly
15:38:20
for us.
15:38:22
So basically, if you want to drop off a
15:38:24
flag that is in need of
15:38:25
retirement, you can take
15:38:27
it to any of the fire
15:38:28
stations throughout the summer.
15:38:30
There's going to be a box
15:38:31
right outside the front door.
15:38:32
You can't miss it.
15:38:34
Put the flag in there and we'll take care
15:38:36
of the patriotic duty
15:38:37
of properly retiring
15:38:39
the flag.
15:38:40
It's a great program because I know
15:38:41
there's a lot of folks who
15:38:42
just break out their flag
15:38:44
and they put it in their little holder in
15:38:46
the front door, but
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they're missing the actual
15:38:48
protocol that's involved.
15:38:50
And it's a very discreet set of
15:38:51
procedures for handling a flag.
15:38:54
It is.
15:38:55
I did quite a bit of reading on the flag
15:38:57
code recently and as it
15:38:59
should be, there are very
15:39:01
particular requirements.
15:39:03
There's quite a
15:39:03
history with it, actually.
15:39:05
It's really actually really helpful to
15:39:07
know that there is a
15:39:08
way to take care of a flag
15:39:10
that's already done its service.
15:39:13
It's been out in
15:39:13
various inclement weather.
15:39:15
We've had, how many times have you seen a
15:39:17
flag that's been pretty threadbare and it
15:39:20
needs to be retired.
15:39:21
So it's great to know that there's a way
15:39:23
to get this done properly.
15:39:25
Right.
15:39:26
Right.
15:39:26
Because we really think it's important,
15:39:28
but we also think it's
15:39:29
best for you to leave the
15:39:32
disposal of the flag to
15:39:34
people that know how to do it.
15:39:35
Okay.
15:39:36
So again, if I'm interested in taking
15:39:39
part in this program,
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what do I need to do?
15:39:41
So basically if you have a flag that's
15:39:44
ready to be retired, as
15:39:45
you said, torn, tattered,
15:39:47
etc., all you need to do is go to any of
15:39:50
the West Palm Beach
15:39:51
fire stations now through
15:39:53
the end of August, bring the flag and
15:39:56
there's a box right at the front door.
15:39:59
Can't miss it.
15:39:59
Just put it in the box.
15:40:01
It's that simple.
15:40:02
Fantastic.
15:40:03
And that's a great thing.
15:40:05
How many times have we had folks who just
15:40:07
didn't know what to
15:40:08
do with their flag and
15:40:09
not unintentionally doing something
15:40:11
that's disrespectful?
15:40:13
So that's great.
15:40:14
So anyway, so we've gotten to a point now
15:40:16
that we're looking
15:40:16
forward to fourth on Flagler.
15:40:18
It's going to be a wonderful celebration.
15:40:20
We want people to come on down.
15:40:22
Let's do this trick that we often play.
15:40:24
What is the top protool tips for folks
15:40:29
coming out and really enjoying the event?
15:40:32
Absolutely.
15:40:33
And before I get into that, let me just
15:40:34
say if you can't come
15:40:35
out on that day, because
15:40:36
we have, you know, people in our
15:40:38
community that aren't
15:40:39
able perhaps to come out WPBF
15:40:42
TV 25 has a special that's going to run
15:40:46
from nine to nine 30.
15:40:47
And it's all about the fourth on Flagler.
15:40:50
And part of that is the live showing of
15:40:53
our pyrotechnico fireworks.
15:40:55
So I will just say we want you to come
15:40:58
out, but if there's a
15:40:59
reason that you can't, there's
15:41:01
one tip.
15:41:02
Number two, and I mentioned
15:41:03
it earlier is get here early.
15:41:06
You know, I'm not saying 12 o'clock.
15:41:08
We've already discussed.
15:41:09
It's pretty hot.
15:41:10
Right.
15:41:11
Get out here a little before six.
15:41:13
And then the parking, which of course is
15:41:14
all on our website, the
15:41:15
different parking locations,
15:41:17
the parking will be easier for you.
15:41:20
So it's a big night.
15:41:21
We do get a lot of people down here.
15:41:23
Do folks want to bring
15:41:24
water or bring their own stuff?
15:41:26
Or is that something that we discourage?
15:41:27
We have everything that you need down
15:41:29
here, but we do discourage
15:41:31
any big backpacks, coolers,
15:41:35
anything ignitable, believe it or not.
15:41:37
We actually one year had a gentleman
15:41:39
wheeling a big grill.
15:41:42
We said, you can't, we can't be having
15:41:45
you start fires here on site, you know?
15:41:48
So you can bring like chairs.
15:41:50
Can you bring chairs?
15:41:52
We encourage you to bring chairs or
15:41:53
blankets because you want
15:41:54
to be able to, you know,
15:41:56
set up your little, your
15:41:56
little fireworks campsite.
15:41:58
So you can see, see the fire.
15:42:00
And that does happen too.
15:42:01
If you get here early, the
15:42:03
berms are really popular.
15:42:05
Shady berms are really popular spots for
15:42:07
families to set their
15:42:08
blankets up and get ready for
15:42:09
the, the fireworks.
15:42:10
So that's another reason to come early.
15:42:13
And also we all know to bring them where
15:42:15
our sunscreen because
15:42:16
even though it's getting,
15:42:18
you know, into the evening hours, you
15:42:20
absolutely don't want to.
15:42:24
Say if you're coming out of an area,
15:42:25
you're outside of West
15:42:26
Palm, say you're coming up
15:42:28
from, from South County, is there, is it
15:42:31
just best to go up I-95
15:42:33
or can you take a train?
15:42:34
What's the best way to come into town?
15:42:35
Well, of course a lot of people do drive
15:42:38
and 95 is usually the
15:42:40
route that they take.
15:42:41
I would suggest yes, Okeechobee, but Palm
15:42:44
Beach Lakes is also
15:42:45
to try to come in from
15:42:46
different, different routes.
15:42:48
Brightline.
15:42:49
Yeah.
15:42:50
I'm sure that that's a
15:42:51
possibility and Tri-Rail.
15:42:53
That's also a possibility.
15:42:55
Fantastic.
15:42:56
Yeah.
15:42:56
All right.
15:42:56
So we've covered
15:42:57
what's going to be going on.
15:42:59
All the really cool music
15:43:01
that's going to be there.
15:43:02
It's going to be a family
15:43:03
event, which is really spectacular.
15:43:05
We want everybody to
15:43:06
take advantage of it.
15:43:07
What have we not covered in our little
15:43:09
discussion about fourth and fourth.
15:43:10
So if you happen to be a runner or in
15:43:14
training to run right
15:43:15
now, as many people do enjoy
15:43:18
this longer hours at night
15:43:20
and then get a cool run in.
15:43:21
The Bill Bone 5K is back, starts at seven
15:43:24
o'clock and it starts down by the Informa
15:43:27
Stage, which is at Post Park and it'll go
15:43:29
south in that
15:43:30
beautiful route that so many
15:43:32
people like to run along Flagler Drive.
15:43:34
So spectacular.
15:43:35
The intercoastal.
15:43:36
The breeze is at night.
15:43:38
So you're not trying to
15:43:41
run in the heat of the day.
15:43:43
We encourage you to sign up for that.
15:43:45
There's a link on our
15:43:45
website for that too.
15:43:48
I think it's the fourth year.
15:43:50
It might be the fifth.
15:43:51
It's been a really nice partnership with
15:43:54
the Bill Bone 5K too.
15:43:56
It's tremendously popular.
15:43:58
So it's fantastic.
15:44:00
So again, if we got folks who are
15:44:01
interested in finding out
15:44:02
more about the event and actually
15:44:03
just even learning about all the
15:44:05
wonderful things that you
15:44:06
guys are doing all summer
15:44:07
long for here at the city, they can find
15:44:10
that information by going to the website.
15:44:13
Right?
15:44:13
Yeah.
15:44:14
That's everything's there.
15:44:16
WPB.org, Forge slash events.
15:44:18
Link right to the fourth on Flagler
15:44:19
information right there.
15:44:21
Our social media accounts.
15:44:23
You can definitely, we encourage you to
15:44:25
follow those because
15:44:26
they'll be up to the minute
15:44:27
with anything that might be happening.
15:44:30
It's obviously the easiest way for us to
15:44:32
push information out.
15:44:34
Fantastic.
15:44:35
Mary, thank you again for coming on by
15:44:37
and telling us about
15:44:38
this event with something
15:44:39
that happens every year.
15:44:40
It is the sort of the apex of the summer
15:44:44
for the city and it's
15:44:45
a very well attended.
15:44:47
We hope everybody
15:44:47
comes out and takes part.
15:44:49
Yeah.
15:44:50
Thanks, Jerry.
15:44:51
And thank you for
15:44:52
listening to today's discussion.
15:44:53
If you've enjoyed the show, please take a
15:44:55
moment to subscribe so
15:44:57
that you can see more
15:44:58
content.
15:44:58
The City Center podcast is produced by
15:45:00
the City of West Palm Beach
15:45:01
Communications Department.
15:45:03
I'm Jerry Marcillo and
15:45:05
we'll see you next time.