GREEN COVE SPRINGS – The giant U.S. flag was unfurled and hung Monday at the entrance of Spring Park.

Food, ice and drinks have been loaded into 22 trucks; local crafts and wares are ready to be displayed for purchase; a crate of watermelons has been selected for an eating contest; the heart of the city has been prepped and primed; the entertainment lineup is set; and, months of planning are down to a few little tweaks ahead of Monday’s Green Cove Springs RiverFest.

“We’ve been working on RiverFest, probably, since the end of February,” said Kimberly Thomas, executive assistant to the city manager. “This has always been the city’s biggest event. We used to say it was the Christmas parade because it rivals RiverFest in the number of people and everything that goes into it. But this is our biggest event.”

Since Green Cove Springs is home, it’s also a big event for Ryan Allen’s North Florida Pyrotechnics.

“I take personal pride in this show,” Allen said. “It’s a challenge to do it bigger and better every year.”

Allen said he would detonate 1,600 firework shells from a barge in the St. Johns River this year. That’s nearly twice as many as in the past. The first firework is scheduled to be launched at 9 p.m.

“We’ll start setting up the morning of the show,” Allen said. “I’ve got a crew of about six of us, and it’ll take us the entire day setting up a 130-foot barge. We’ll be staged by 7 p.m. and ready to go.

“I would tell everyone to get there early, get a good seat and get ready to be amazed. It’s going to be an incredible show.”

RiverFest ceremonies coincide with Memorial Day and will begin at 10 a.m. at the gazebo with a program to honor the men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the defense of our nation. Since Memorial Day commemorates those who have fallen, the city will focus more on honoring the fallen.

“Our opening ceremonies will be different this year,” Thomas said. “We are going to make it more of a Memorial Day service. We won’t be doing the veterans’ parade as we’ve done in the past because we want to support the soldiers on Memorial Day. We do want to recognize them, though.”

There will be a flyover by the Dreamland Squadron, an “Old Glory” recital with Mack Ellis, a wreath laying, bell ringing, and playing “Taps.”

The children’s play zone will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. unlimited play wristbands are $10.

Entertainment starts at noon with the Clay County Community Band, and continues with Lyndie Burris Knowles, Velvet Edison, Miss Marie’s Kids, Brooke Thomas, Michelle Reeves, Steve Reeves and Steve Amburgey. The main event, the Bedrock Band, will take the stage at 7 p.m.

The annual rubber duck race along Spring Run will be at 2 p.m., and the watermelon-eating contest is at 3:30 p.m.

There are 22 food trucks, and the city limits the trucks to two similar fares. Counting other vendors, shoppers and visitors can stroll through more than 100 tented merchants.

The Green Cove Springs Police Department estimated last year’s RiverFest attracted a record crowd of about 8,500. With an expanded fireworks show and sold-out food truck lineup, the city is bracing for another record turnout.