Fourth of July revelers accustomed to Cranberry's popular fireworks display will have to get their fix elsewhere this year. Unless they can wait for a week.

On July 12, eight days after the Independence Day holiday, the township will host its usual aerial artwork as the finale to a two-day Community Day celebration.

The township decided more than a year ago to shift its annual Community Day from July 4 to the second Saturday in July in an effort to attract more people -- both as visitors and as volunteers.

Conflicts with Independence Day celebrations were perceived as a drain on some of the enthusiasm for Cranberry's efforts to celebrate the township and its sense of community.

The fireworks will begin about 9:30 p.m. July 12, in the Route 19 Community Park.

Community Day has traditionally been a big draw, attracting up to 25,000 visitors. This year it will be different, not only in its day but also in its length. The festivities will extend from noon July 11 to the fireworks July 12. Those fireworks will be followed by a musical interlude to entertain visitors as they make their way to their vehicles. Food booths are expected to remain open until the crowd clears.

The hosts of the celebration are Cranberry Township Community Chest, the Community Day Committee, and the township.

Festivities will begin with a chicken barbecue prepared by the Cranberry Township Rotary Club outside the municipal center on Rochester Road. It will run from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Takeouts will be available, as will tables for picnicking.

At noon July 11, the Cranberry Rotary gazebo on the front lawn of the municipal building will serve as the stage for the Greater Cranberry Bogmeisters, a vocal group in the tradition of a barbershop quartet. The group also will perform at 5 p.m. that day.

At the same time, the township's farmers market will be open in the back lot of the municipal center from 3:30 to 6 p.m.

The next morning, the Cranberry Lions Club will host a pancake "breakfast" that will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the park's Lions Shelter.

Though the fun will have been already under way, the official opening of Community Day will be marked by a ceremony at 3 p.m. in the Community Park on July 12. Cranberry Chorale will be performing on the multipurpose field community stage during that ceremony.

The balance of the day will be devoted to a range of activities from food booths and concerts to karaoke and kiddie rides, pony rides and a petting zoo. Amphitheater main stage attractions will begin at 3:30 p.m. with garage bands. The country and western group El Dorado will perform at 5:45 p.m. and the Beatles tribute band Come Together is set for 8 p.m.

The ever-popular Battle of the Barrels will begin at 4:30 p.m. Firefighters train their hoses on a suspended barrel and try in teams to move the barrel to their opposing team's side.