Celebrate Independence Day in Ann Arbor
Looking for something fun to do this holiday weekend? Ann Arbor is hopping this weekend. Celebrate Independence Day with fireworks, a concert, or a parade. Some of these events are even within walking distance from your downtown Ann Arbor condominium- you won’t even have to find a parking spot! Leave your car at home, and join in the fun this Fourth of July weekend! Friday 7-11:30 p.m. This summer tradition continues this year on Ingalls Mall and features music by local, area, and national bands. The music is followed at 10 p.m. (Sun.-Thurs.) by free movies and at 10:30 p.m. (Fri.) by dancing to DJs. Kids will enjoy the KidZone tent (6:30-8 p.m.) with hands-on activities for kids. Food for sale from area restaurants. Tonight: Bugs Beddow Band (9 p.m.), a versatile Detroit ensemble led by trombonist Beddow that plays horn-driven R&B, boogie-rock, blues, and jazz. Opening act is Copper Box (7 p.m.), a Wisconsin quartet that plays an accordion-heavy mix of rock, polka, blues, and zydeco. The bands are followed at 10:30 p.m. by dancing to music spun by DJ Del Villarreal. Ingalls Mall at Washington. Free. 994-5999. Saturday 19th Annual Jaycees Fourth of July Parade. The parade lineup features antique cars, baton twirlers, jugglers, magicians, /fire trucks, and a diverse mix of more than 40 local groups, ranging from members of the Skyline High Marching Band to the Backwards Clown Brigade. The parade begins at State and William and proceeds north on State, west down Liberty, south on Main, and west up William back to its starting point. Free. 913-9629. www.a2jaycees.org. 5 & 8 p.m. This Washington, D.C.-based comedy troupe performs its trademark political and topical satire at the Ann Arbor Summer Festival. The group also performs a few skits and "Lirty Dies" routines, a vaudeville-era comedic form that employs spoonerisms--the transposition of the initial letters of adjacent words--to create humorously garbled texts. Power Center. Tickets $30-$45 in advance at the Michigan League Ticket Office & annarborsummerfestival.org, and (if available) at the door. To charge by phone, call 764-2538. 994-5999. The fun continues tonight with the gospel-flavored local blues ensemble Lady Sunshine & the X Band (9 p.m.). Opening act is the Dayton funk-rock band Magic Jackson (7 p.m.). Preceded at 5 p.m. by performances by musicians from the Ann Arbor Music Center's Rock Band School and the Sterling Heights acoustic pop duo Sunny Side Up. Ingalls Mall at Washington. Free. 994-5999. 7-8 p.m. A variety of water activities for kids ages 6-12. Includes water-balloon contests, water baseball, raft races, a hula-hoop relay, and more. Veterans Park Pool, 2150 Jackson Rd. $4 (youths age 17 & under and seniors age 60 & older, $3.50). 794-6235. Sunday 8:30 a.m. Every Sun. All invited to join informal runs of 5-7 miles along various scenic routes. meet at Sweetwaters, Kerrytown. Free. 657-0214. 5 p.m. George Bedard & the Kingpins (7:30 p.m.), a popular local honky-tonk band that plays blues, rockabilly, swing, and roots music. Opening act is Madcat & Kane (5 p.m.), a nationally acclaimed local duo of world-class harmonica wizard Peter Madcat Ruth and ace fingerstyle blues guitarist Shari Kane. The music is followed at 10 p.m. by The Sound of Music, Robert Wise's perennially popular 1965 film adaptation of the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical, set in Austria on the eve of WW II, about the Von Trapp family's singing governess. Julie Andrews. Attendees are encouraged to dress in costumes inspired by the film and participate in the preshow contest & parade. Ingalls Mall at Washington. Free. 994-5999. Here are some fun events taking place in nearby towns. Sure, you’ll have to pile into the car to get there, but these are going to be worth the drive! Friday "Fireworks at Hudson Mills": Hudson Mills Metropark 10 p.m. Enjoy fireworks that are visible from any point in the park. Classic-rock dance music by Big Pinky and the Joint Effort Band outdoors by the Activity Center (7-11 p.m.). Gates usually closed by 9:30 p.m. because the parking lots fill up. Rain date: July 4. Hudson Mills Metropark Activity Center, 8801 North Territorial Rd. (between Dexter-Pinckney Rd. & Huron River Dr.), Dexter. Free. (Park entry fee: $4 per vehicle.) 426-8211. Manchester fireworks Carr Park, 600 W. Main St., Manchester. Friday at dusk. Free, but donations are accepted. 734-428-8572. Saturday 8 a.m.-4 p.m. July 4 & 5. The nation's longest-running Camaro-only show features several hundred vintage to brand-new models on display. This year's show features the 2010 Camaro. Numerous awards for original, restored, street, and modified models. Proceeds benefit the National Kidney Foundation. Riverside Park, Cross St. at Huron, Ypsilanti. $3 admission (kids age 14 & under, free). 368-8726, 397-5182. Brighton Fourth of July Parade 10 a.m. Enjoy this community parade that through downtown Brighton, starting at the Brighton Education and Community Center and traveling down Main Street to Seventh Street to Brighton High School. Ypsilanti Fourth of July Parade 11 a.m. This annual parade draws a large crowd of families from the surrounding area. Starts at Cross Street and travels from Wallace to Rice. 734-332-9139. Fowlerville Fourth of July parade and fireworks Parade through downtown at 7 p.m. Saturday; events all day with fireworks at 10 p.m. Details: 517-223-3454. Whitmore Lake Fourth of July Celebration Events all day Saturday with fireworks at dusk. 248-437-6318.
"Top of the Park" Ann Arbor Summer Festival
Ann Arbor Fourth of July Parade: Ann Arbor Jaycees
10 a.m.
The Capitol Steps: Ann Arbor Summer Festival
"Top of the Park": Ann Arbor Summer Festival
7 p.m.
"Saturday Splash": Ann Arbor Parks & Recreation
"A2Sunday Runners": Two Dogs Running
"Top of the Park": Ann Arbor Summer Festival
18th Annual Camaro Superfest 2008: Eastern and Western Michigan Camaro Clubs.
