USS New Jersey homecoming celebration is now free for all to attend

⚓ The Battleship New Jersey returns to its home in Camden on Thursday

⚓ A dry dock celebration is planned

⚓The event is now free instead of a $10 entrance fee

CAMDEN — America’s most decorated battleship, the USS New Jersey plans to return to the Camden waterfront on Thursday, following nearly 12 weeks in dry dock in Philadelphia.

There is a big celebration planned for tomorrow and here’s the best part---it’s free.

The museum and memorial had previously announced that tickets for the homecoming party would be a $10 donation, but now the entrance ticket is free of charge. No reason for the change was disclosed.

The Battleship New Jersey is scheduled to return to its home at the Camden Waterfront on June 20 after it left dry dock on June 14 for a six-day pit stop at the Paulsboro Marine Terminal.

The dry dock return celebration at 100 Clinton Street in Camden begins at 11 a.m. The 887-foot ship is expected to return at approximately 1:20 p.m., according to the website.

Guests can park along Clinton Street in Lot 1 across from Freedom Mortgage Pavilion, as well as at the Waterfront Garage.

Attendees are invited to participate in games, enjoy live music from The B Street Band, the original Bruce Springsteen tribute band, and sink their teeth into hot dogs from Dietz and Watson, sliders from Mission BBQ, and other food trucks. Beverages will be provided by Wawa, plus there will be other bar service goodies. Don’t forget to meet the Philadelphia sports team mascots along the Battleship’s pier, as they await the return of the ship that was launched on December 7, 1942, just a year after the Pearl Harbor attack brought America into WWII.

In other Battleship New Jersey news, the museum has announced on Facebook that due to the unprecedented heat forecast for the next several days, the NJ Beer Festival planned for Saturday has been canceled until further notice.

“We are incredibly sorry for the inconvenience, but we believe this to be the best decision for the health of attendees, brewery participants, vendors, and volunteers,” according to the Brewers Guild of New Jersey via Facebook.

Attendees can transfer their tickets at no cost to the Brew Blast on the Battleship New Jersey on September 7. If not, a full refund will be issued.

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