It’s time to make plans to celebrate the Fourth of July, which this year falls on a Friday.
Fly the Stars and Stripes, invite some friends and family for a picnic or a cook-out and enjoy the time together.
Also known as Independence Day, the Fourth of July is a federal holiday that commemorates the passage of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776.
Festivities in the metro area will start the weekend before and continue on July 4.
Kick off the fun by attending the “Celebrate America Balloon Glow” on June 27 at Northpark in Ridgeland. It’s free and the fun kicks off at 5 p.m.
Ridgeland Parks and Recreation will partner with the Mississippi Championship Hot Air Balloon Festival for an evening featuring hot air balloons, children’s activities, musical entertainment and food vendors.
Activities for children are planned in the kid’s corner from 5-8 p.m.
Entertainment will include D.J. Trix, The Bridge Band and Steve Azar. A fireworks show is scheduled at 9:15 p.m., and Temperance Babcock will perform patriotic selections at 9:30 p.m.
Head out to the Barnett Reservoir on June 28, where the Barnett Reservoir Foundation will stage its 14th Independence Celebration, featuring a dual fireworks show and music at Old Trace Park, 422 Post Road in Ridgeland, and Bobby Cleveland Park at Lakeshore, 704 Parkway Road in Brandon.
Co-hosted by the Pearl River Valley Water Supply District, the event has free admission and parking. Gates will open at 5 p.m.
The event will include live music starting at 6 p.m. after the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem. The 41st Army Band will perform patriotic songs and the Mississippi blues at Old Trace Park. Don Grant with Cory Hall will also take the stage at Old Trace Park.
Tom and Bradley Buller will perform at Bobby Cleveland Park at Lakeshore.
Fireworks will begin at 9 p.m. from the end of Red Dot Road near Old Trace Park and from a barge near Bobby Cleveland Park at Lakeshore. A musical simulcast for the fireworks show can be heard by listening to 98.7.
Each park will have kid zones, food trucks and beverages. No outside food, beverages, tents or coolers will be allowed. Dogs on leashes are welcome.
Be sure and check out the oversized American flag that is flown from a bucket truck during the Fourth of July and hangs over Spillway Road at the Rez.
The city of Jackson Department of Parks and Recreation will host its annual Fireworks Extravaganza on July 3 from 5-10 p.m. at Smith Wills Stadium at 1200 Lakeland Drive. Admission is $2 per person, with children age six or younger admitted for free.
A Kids Zone will be set up from 5-7 p.m. Food vendors will be on hand and live entertainment is planned. A fireworks show will begin as night falls.
Get moving on July 4 and take part in the Farm Bureau Watermelon Classic that will benefit the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame & Museum. The event will begin on Lakeland Drive in front of the Agriculture Museum and finish in the parking lot in front of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame & Museum.
True to the name of the event and as always, watermelon will be served.
One of the fundraisers for the museum, the annual event helps keep the doors open to the museum so it can achieve its mission of preserving, protecting and promoting Mississippi’s rich sports heritage.
Race day events will include a competitive 5k run, 5k walk, and a one-mile fun run. Cash prizes will be awarded to overall 5k run winners as well as medals for overall winners and age group winners for each event.
Registration fees will increase after June 29. Registration closes on July 3 at 5 p.m., and there is no race day registration.
Participants can pick up their race packets June 28 through June 30 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the museum. Race day pick up of packets is scheduled from 6:30-7:15 a.m. on July 4.
The Mississippi Children’s Museum, the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science and LeFleur’s Bluff Playground will be closed on July 4.
All Hinds County offices and Madison County offices will be closed for the holiday on July 4. Ridgeland city office will be closed on July 4 and so will Madison city offices.
Mississippi state government offices and federal agencies will observe the holiday on July 4.
St Richard Catholic Church at 1242 Lynwood Drive plans to celebrate the Fourth of July with “Fireworks after Dark” on July 13.
