Mayor cuts 400-pound cake to kickoff Harborfest

(David Kamerman/Globe Staff)

By Anne Baker, Globe Correspondent

Nobody does Independence Day quite like Boston. Mayor Thomas Menino kicked off a six day festival today by using a military sword to a cut a 400-pound American flag cake during a ceremony at Faneuil Hall.

The Fourth of July festivities will run through Sunday, focusing on the city's colonial and maritime history, said John Gauthier, a media and event coordinator for Harborfest. The 200 events over the next six days will include a clam chowder cook-off between nine of the city’s restaurants, a reading of the Declaration of Independence, and a reenactment of the Boston Tea Party, according to the festival’s website, www.BostonHarborfest.com.

Harborfest coincides with Boston Navy Week, which includes a seven-day visit from the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan. The ship will be open for public visits at the North Jetty in South Boston from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday. The Navy will also have a flight simulator on City Hall Plaza from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday.

(George Rizer/Globe Staff)

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