When Asbury Park's new Fourth of July parade takes to the streets at 1 p.m. on Sunday, July 4, spectators can look forward to everything from a Philadelphia Mummers string band, to a clown band and stilt-walkers, to Tillie and a scaled-down swan boat.

And that doesn't count an all-day festival in Bradley and Atlantic Parks; free music ranging from jazz and Cajun to blues and oldies; and what promises to be the largest fireworks display in city memory.

Bruno, our deputy mayor, said that former American Legion President Ben Schneider first broached the concept of a parade. Ben wanted a way to honor local veterans and residents currently serving in the military, and the idea stuck with Jimmy.

Then, last fall, the City and Board of Education staged an impromptu parade for Asbury Park's victorious Pee-Wee Pop Warner team, and Jimmy decided it was time for a full-scale production.

Since January, he and his crew of willing (and semi-willing) volunteers have put together an impressive line-up that includes all the elements that make the Fourth of July, well, the Fourth of July: marching bands, floats, drill teams, veterans groups, chopper bikes, fire trucks, clowns, and - yes - even those ubiquitous elected officials. (Yikes! Can anyone help me with a costume idea?)

Dorothy Smith, wife of late Assemblyman Tom Smith, will serve as grand marshal, and we expect that Asbury Park High School graduate and hometown hero - Staff Sergeant Maurice Craft, wounded last year in Iraq - will also participate.

The parade will kick off at Press Plaza at 1 p.m. on July 4, proceed up Cookman Avenue to Main Street, head north to Fifth Avenue, and turn down Fifth to Bradley Park.

From there, residents and visitors can enjoy a carnival, eight live bands, 60 booths featuring craftspeople and local businesses, and children's activities including face-painting, temporary tattoos and a rock-climbing wall - all leading up to those spectacular, 9 p.m. fireworks on the Fifth Avenue beach.

And did I mention that we'll also be dedicating our brand new boardwalk that day?

(On second thought, make sure that costume idea comes with sensible walking shoes.)

It's probably no surprise to long-time residents that Jimmy Bruno would organize a Fourth of July extravaganza to draw residents and visitors back to Asbury Park's beachfront.

"I practically grew up in Convention Hall," he remembers.

Jimmy's dad - William "Butch" Bruno - was born on Springwood Avenue in 1913 and once worked as a city lifeguard. In 1969, he retired from his job as a city teacher and football coach and became Asbury Park's Beach Director.

Nine-year-old Jimmy began hanging out in Lee's Arcade, near his dad's Convention Hall office, and by the time he was 15 he worked in the arcade doing everything from making change to fixing pinball machines.

Over the years, Jimmy has worked as an Asbury Park police community relations aide, city housing inspector, firefighter, and fire inspector.

He also spent nine years as a Board of Education member and seven years as a Little League coach, eventually serving as the president of both groups.

Of course, Jimmy also has a few secret weapons: City resident Eileen Chapman, who organized the post-parade festival, also coordinates the highly successful Belmar Seafood Festival. And Jimmy's sister, former Ocean Township Councilwoman Mary Pat Napolitano, has coordinated Ocean Township's equally successful Memorial Day parade for eight years.

He's even enlisted his daughter Christy in the effort. ("I'm staying out of it," his older daughter Gia wisely told me, rolling her eyes.)

Other key contributors are city department head Hazel Samuels and our city manager's wife Nadine Reidy (who jointly coordinated the bands and floats), and a cast of city residents, business people, and employees far too long to name. (Particularly if I inadvertently leave someone off the list…)

Of course, one of the main challenges of staging a holiday extravaganza for residents and visitors in Asbury Park is drumming up the funding and, once again, Eileen's and Mary Pat's expertise came in handy.

We hope you'll thank all our major sponsors (their names are listed on the parade posters displayed around town), particularly the Urban Enterprise Zone board (which matched the city's standard fireworks budget), Asbury Partners, and Sackman Enterprises (developers for the Steinbach building).

With their help, Jimmy's committee has almost funded its $42,000 parade budget, although Jimmy tells me they still could use a last-minute donation or two.

And if you have an Asbury Park home or business - particularly along the parade route - we hope you'll spend a little time decorating it for the Fourth.

It's time to show the world that Asbury Park is open for business - and fun - again.