BOSTON (WHDH) – While thousands are expected to flood the Charles River Esplanade for this year’s Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular, thousands of other people are expected to flock to a series of other Fourth of July celebrations in Boston and beyond Thursday. 

Boston Harborfest continued with another day of events, starting with a 9 a.m. parade through the streets of Boston. There will be a reading of the Declaration of Independence at the Old State House at 10 a.m. and the USS Constitution will deliver a 21-gun salute around 11:30 a.m. near Castle Island.

The USS Oscar Austin, a Navy destroyer, docked in Boston on Wednesday and remains parked at Black Falcon Pier. The ship is open for tours.

Elsewhere, major fireworks shows are planned in communities including New Bedford, Plymouth, Fall River and Salisbury. 

New Bedford’s fireworks begin at 9 p.m. over New Bedford Harbor.

Plymouth fireworks start at 9:15 p.m. at Pilgrim Memorial State Park

Fall River fireworks start at 9:30 p.m.

Salisbury fireworks start at 10:15 p.m. at Salisbury Beach.

Originally scheduled to host its own fireworks display, Marblehead will be without fireworks this year after a fireworks barge went up in flames overnight. 

Organizers announced the fire early Thursday morning and said an investigation into the cause of the fire was ongoing. 

The Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular will begin with musical performances at 8 p.m. The fireworks show will begin at 10:30 p.m.

The Fireworks Spectacular will be broadcast on 7NEWS. The show is produced by and also airing on Bloomberg TV and Bloomberg Radio. It is sponsored by Herb Chambers.

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A Salem teacher has been charged following a police sting operation after he allegedly tried to meet up with an underage girl for “sex acts.”

Gym and health teacher Darren Benedick, 42, was apparently unaware that the person he was communicating with online was not a 14-year-old girl, but rather an undercover Newbury cop who had been monitoring a “teens-only” chat room.

The teacher at Salem Academy Charter School was arrested by Newbury Police, with help from Salem Police. He was charged with one count of child enticement and one count of dissemination of matter harmful to minors.

“At this time, authorities have no allegations that any students at the school were subject to the defendant’s alleged misconduct,” the Essex DA’s Office said in a statement.

Benedick was arraigned in Newburyport District Court on Wednesday following the sting operation.

“The defendant is alleged to have engaged in online conversations with the undercover officer expressing a desire to meet in person and engage in sexual activities, to have sent an obscene image to the officer, and to have described the sex acts that he wished to perform,” the Essex DA’s Office said.

Benedick made plans to meet the person on Wednesday, and he was taken into custody when he arrived for the intended encounter.

Prosecutors at the arraignment requested cash bail of $50,000 with GPS monitoring, home confinement, and no contact with children. The court set bail at $5,000 and granted the non-monetary terms, including the no contact with children order.

The Essex DA and the police chiefs in Salem and Newbury “advise parents and guardians to engage youth in age-appropriate discussions about proper online and social media behavior, and to encourage them to speak up if they encounter inappropriate contact from an adult.”