The patriotic colors of red, white and blue covered the streets of Port Orchard July 1, the small city’s 4th of July celebration remaining alive and well.

Residents of Port Orchard, along with the surrounding areas of Kitsap County, traveled on land and water to the city’s downtown for a day of music, food and friends. This year’s celebration preceded the actual holiday, but Fathoms O’ Fun vendor and director Bob Morehouse said it’s a move the organization felt worked to the betterment of the celebration.

“Actually, we like doing it on this day. We’ll get a lot more people than doing it on a” Tuesday, he said.

The move was also motivated by a dispute with the scheduling of the annual firework show over the Sinclair Inlet. Morehouse said, “The last guy we had for a few years quit because he had issues with the city of Port Orchard.”

Nevertheless, the firework show commenced, receiving a loud round of applause at its beginning and end. Visitors did not seem to mind the change in date, some actually preferring the timing.

Jennifer Baker of Port Orchard said: “We spend the Fourth with our family, and we do a tradition every year where we have our church family and everything, and we get together. So to have something on the weekend before just gives us another opportunity to do something—to feel like we’re not missing out on anything.”

Visitors enjoyed an all-day market of commercial, craft and food vendors with live music from the streets and the Marina Park.

The celebration is especially vital to the newest of Port Orchard’s vendors and businesses. Nicole Whalen of Whalen’s Wieners said after only being an active part of the community for a few months, to see the lines forming in front of their stand was nothing short of incredible. “We get a lot of thank yous for being down here,” Whalen said. “Everybody’s been so open with us.”

Visitors also walked to the marina to see the big historic ship Lady Washington and her crew making their annual tour visit to South Kitsap. Kate Miller-Vickers said the celebration brought a bigger number of passengers for the ship tours. “A lot of kids aboard this morning were really excited to get a look around the ‘pirate ship,’” she said. “It’s been a really great weekend.”

A family walks toward the stretch of vendors along the Port Orchard waterfront.