2009 Fourth of July Fireworks - Montgomery College, Rockville, Maryland

This year instead of the fireworks being set off at Richard Montgomery high school in downtown Rockville, Maryland, they were located at Montgomery (County, Maryland) College's (MC as it’s known to the locals; aka “The Harvard on the Pike.” For the 2009 Fourth of July Celebration, the entertainment lineup was the band Redline at 7 p.m. on the campus stage, the Fugitive Brass Quintet at 7 p.m., and the Rockville Concert Band at 8 p.m. Both the Fugitive Brass Quintet and the Rockville Concert Band will be performing at the football stadium stage. At 8:45 p.m. Mayor Hoffmann and the City Council welcome the crowd and kick-off Rockville's Census 2010 outreach efforts.

The exact number of people who attended is unknown, but this years’ fireworks drew a crowd at least twice as large as previous years, mostly due to the better weather forecast than last year.

This is an extremely fun, family-friendly alternative to the monster crowds on the National Mall and a lot easier to access.

Parking is available on Route 355 (Rockville Pike) or all along Mannakee Street; considered to be the “back” of Montgomery College.