ENTERTAINMENT

7 Labor Day weekend events from fireworks to Arden Fair

Ryan Cormier

The News Journal

It was last Labor Day weekend when Broadway's "Hamilton" really began picking up steam.

"Broadway Box Office: ‘Hamilton’ Makes Bank Over Labor Day Weekend" read the Variety headline last September, two months before the hit hip-hop musician dethroned "The Lion King" as the Great White Way's biggest money-maker.

While the show's star, Lin-Manuel Miranda, left the production in July, "Hamilton" continues to dominate Broadway.

And now it's coming to Dover. (Kinda, sorta.)

The music of "Hamilton" will be the cutting-edge soundtrack to Saturday's postponed Fourth of July fireworks show in Dover on Saturday night, making up for getting rained out earlier this summer.

Better late than never: Dover will host its postponed Fourth of July celebration (and "Hamilton"-themed fireworks show) on Saturday.

Dover's Fourth of July celebration, which features more than 20 events, activities and performances starting at 9 a.m., will be the first time in recent memory that the town will celebrate Independence Day on Labor Day weekend. (Go to dover4thofjuly.com for the full schedule of events.)

"I've been in charge for 10 years and involved in some way for another eight or nine before that and this is the first time we ever had to postpone it. That was a tough one to swallow," says Greg Patterson, president of the Dover Fourth of July committee, which has lightheartedly dubbed the new event as "Dover 4th of July 2.0."

STORY: Tropical systems could impact Labor Day weather

While there will be big booms in Dover and barbecues in backyards across the state, here are six other Labor Day weekend events in Delaware and beyond that just might make your re-entry into the post-summer real world a little more manageable.

Sunlight filters into the Shady Grove -- a beer and music garden -- during an Arden Fair.

Arden Fair, Arden Gild Hall, 2126 The Highway, Arden. Saturday, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. In its 109th year, one of Delaware's longest-running traditions is back. More than 500 volunteers help pull off the free arts-and-crafts-themed fair that draws up to 8,000. (A sunny forecast with comfortable temperatures should help pack 'em in this year.) In addition to the more than 120 handmade craft and jewelry vendors, there will children's activities, a massive food court, folk dancing and live music all day in the Shady Grove. Wilmington jam band Montana Wildaxe (1 p.m.), which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, and Wilmington-based reggae headliners The Kooligans (5 p.m.) are among the acts. As always, free shuttles will bring fairgoers to the site from the nearby Hanby Outdoor Center, which offers free parking. ardenclub.org.

Rihanna, who headlines this weekend's Made in America music festival in Philadelphia, performs during the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday.

Made in America, Ben Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia. Saturday and Sunday. Signing along to Rihanna as she performs "Work" seems like a perfect fit for Labor Day weekend. Rihanna, a newly-minted MTV Michael Jackson Video Vanguard, is atop this year's line-up for Jay Z's hip-hop heavy Made in America festival, which is in its fifth year. In addition to the Barbadian star, British pop group Coldplay and blues rocker Gary Clark Jr. will join rappers Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz, Chance the Rapper, DJ Khaled and more on the Parkway. Tickets for the festival are $99.50 for a one-day pass or $162 to attend both days. madeinamericafest.com.

Alli Schell (left) and Allison Haug at last year's Delaware: A Brew Story at Blue Ball Barn in Rockland.

Delaware: A Brew Story, Blue Ball Barn at Alapocas Run State Park, 1914 W. Park Dr., Rockland. Saturday, 5 p.m. New school will collide with old school at this unique fundraiser made especially for Delaware-based beer nerds. Delaware beer historians John Medkeff, Tony Russo and Bob Fullmer will present the history of brewing beer in Delaware, stretching back about 375 years from the earliest days of brewing to today's craft brewing bonanza. It will be followed by a craft beer sampling with about 20 Delaware breweries and wineries on site. Proceeds from ticket sales and raffles will go to Wilmington State Park's School Programs Scholarship Fund and the Restore the King initiative to restore the original Gambrinus zinc statue that stood over Wilmington's Diamond State Brewery, which closed in 1955. Tickets are $35-$45 or $15-$20 if you're a non-drinking designated driver. facebook.com/ARSP.WSP.

Bethany Beach will lay Summer 2016 to rest on Monday at 5:30 p.m. with the 31st annual Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral.

Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral, Bethany Beach Boardwalk. Monday, 5:30 p.m. There will be tears. Mourners will hold a funeral for the Summer of 2016 on Monday evening, represented by a mannequin in a coffin. The 31st annual jazz funeral marking the unofficial end of the summer is a hoot with men, women, children and dogs dressed in black, marching down the boardwalk while a trio of Dixieland bands play. Money raised from a silent auction (these are the "Quiet Resorts" after all) will benefit Sussex County Habitat for Humanity. About 2,000 people attend the unorthodox requiem each summer. jazz-funeral.com.

The Steep Canyon Rangers, one of the headliners at this weekend's Delaware Valley Bluegrass Festival, have been collaborating with actor/musician Steve Martin since 2009.

Delaware Valley Bluegrass Festival, 725 U.S. 40, Woodstown, New Jersey. Friday through Sunday. For the past seven years, North Carolina-based bluegrass band Steep Canyon Rangers have been playing shows as the backing band for comedian/actor/musician Steve Martin. And now the Grammy-winning act will show Delaware Valley Bluegrass Festival fans why Martin chose them. The Grammy-winning six-piece brings its skills to the festival as Friday night's headliner. The festival, which originated in Bear in the '70s and was co-founded by Ralph Stanley and Bill Monroe, will also feature Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, Seldom Scene, Chris Hillman (The Byrds, The Flying Burrito Brothers), Herb Pedersen and more. Skaggs will lead a tribute to Stanley, who died in June at 89. The tribute will be Saturday from 9:45 p.m. to 10:15 p.m., just ahead of Skaggs' scheduled set to close out the festival's second day. The three-day camping-and-music fest costs $55 for Friday and Saturday, $45 for Sunday and $110 for a three-day pass at the gate. (The three-day pass is $99 if you buy by Aug. 30.) Discounts available for seniors and students. delawarevalleybluegrass.org.

Fans watch Built to Spill perform at Lollapalooza in Chicago in 2006. Ten years later, the rockers will headline another festival: Dogfish Head's Analog-A-Go-Go on Sept. 17. The festival's "prefest" party is at 1984 in Wilmington this weekend.

Analog-A-Go-Go Prefest, 1984, 2511 W. Fourth St., Wilmington. Friday, 7 p.m. With Dogfish Head's biggest-ever music festival about two weeks away, arcade/bar 1984 will host an official pre-party complete with raffles for festival tickets, exclusive Dogfish brews and live performances, including a set by the fest's lone Delaware band -- pop dreamweavers Fiancé. It's $5 to get in the door and you have to be 21 or older. The festival will be held Sept. 17 in Bellevue State Park with Built to Spill headlining. analogagogo.com.

Contact Ryan Cormier of The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier), Twitter (@ryancormier) and Instagram (@ryancormier).