Five Things You Need to Know about Catonsville's Fourth of July

It may only be March, but July is right around the corner, at least for those in Catonsville who are involved with the community’s Fourth of July festivities.

The Catonsville Fourth of July committee has been planning for several months. Last week, the first fundraiser was held at , where this year’s T-shirts were also unveiled.

Here are the five things you need to know about this year's festivities:

1. This weekend the group will hold the Unofficial Catonsville Prom, which is also one of the major fundraisers.

The , which starts at 8 p.m. Saturday and is being held at the Catonsville Armory on Mellor Avenue. Tickets are $35 and there will be premium beers and wine at the event as well as a silent auction. Music will be performed by Appaloosa.

Committee member Maureen Sweeney Smith said the event has grown to be the unofficial prom because it serves as a big Catonsville reunion.

“It’s a whole bunch of Catonsville people showing up,” she said. “You know everybody there.”

2. This year marks the 65th anniversary of the parade. The theme of the parade is "65 Years of Parade and Fireworks--Creating Smiles Since 1947."

Organizers are asking parade participants to build their entries around the years of smiles the festivities have created over the years.

3. For the first time, the committee will charge for registration in the parade.

Committee chairwoman Rose Edwards said that many other area parades in the area charge and it was a way to make the parade sustainable for future years.

The total cost of all the events –including fireworks— is roughly $100,000. The cost for all parade entries will be $50 and businesses must pay $200.

4. This year's T-shirt design proclaims Catonsville's fireworks as the "Best Fireworks in Maryland." Ken Pittman, who designed the T-shirt with the cicada in 2004, designed this year's shirt. The back also includes a map of the parade route with the question, "Where's Your Chair?"

T-shirts start at $15 and are available in all sizes including children's sizes. Shirts are available at , and. The committee will also start online sales on the site later this month.

5. Also this year, the committee is running a contest for the best-decorated chair. For years, residents have been putting out chairs several weeks prior to the fourth to save their spot.

This year the committee is running a contest for people to decorate a chair to celebrate the tradition.

The committee is partnering with Strategic Victory Consulting to run the contest. Edwards said the contest was a good way to highlight the unique tradition in Catonsville.

“If you go down Frederick Road a week-and-a-half before the parade, people are marking off their spots,” she said. “It’s just a great tradition and I think that’s what Catonsville is all about.”

Entries can be sent to showusyouchair.org.  The entry fee is $25 and the voting is $1 per chair. The chair that raises the most money overall wins.

Entries for the chair contest start on March 5 and run until June 9. Voting will start online in June and on June 24, the top 20 chairs will be revealed on Frederick Road Fridays. From June 25-July 1, the top 10 chairs will be on display in businesses in Frederick Road.