A close flyover by F-15’s of the 104th Fighter Wing (based in Westfield, MA) added an element of action to the National Anthem.

Crowds lined the banks of the Charles River before noon on July 4th to claim prime spots to view the fireworks.

Olivia M. Brum from Lowell, MA, holding her autographed sign, welcomes Neil Diamond.

The 101st Field Artillery Regiment (based in Brockton, MA) provided an added “boom” to Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture” performed by the Boston Pops.

Srinivasan Jagannathan G (left) and Ankur Sinha G are seen preparing for a cricket match on the Barry Astroturf Field in this September 2008 file photo.

Fireworks launch from a barge in the Charles River during the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular on Independence Day 2009, as viewed from the roof of Building 54. See the back page for more photos from the Boston area on July 4th.

Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart gestures to the crowd during the Pop’s public rehearsal on July 3 at the Hatchshell on the Esplanade.

Professor of Biology Robert A. Weinberg’s New Hampshire cabin and garden. Just like students, MIT Professors enjoy all kinds of interesting work and leisure in the summer.

After attending the Amnesty International event on Human rights and the Iran protests, guests gathered across Massachusetts Ave. in front of the Lobby 7 on Tuesday, June 23 to participate in a silent, candlelight vigil. The vigil was in remembrance of Neda Agha-Soltan, a victim of election protest violence in Iran.

Singer Neil Diamond sings his signature song “Sweet Caroline” to large crowd packed on the Esplanade during the rehearsal of CBS’s national broadcast of the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular on July 3.

Charles River is seen at sundown on Independence Day in this composite stitched panorama. Hundreds of thousands of people — and hundreds of watercraft — surrounded the barge with fireworks in the middle of the river.