TODAY-MONDAY
Akron —The Rib, White & Blue festival, South Main Street between Bowery and State streets and Lock 3 Live, next to Civic Theatre. Concerts, children’s rides, inflatables and food concessions, including barbecue vendors. Hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, noon to 11 p.m. Sunday and noon to 9:30 p.m. Monday. Just as last year, there will be no fireworks display over the Akron Innerbelt. A scaled-down version will close the Akron Symphony Orchestra Pops concert at Lock 3 at 9:45 p.m. Monday. Friday concerts: The Satisfiers at 7 p.m. and Bad Medicine, a tribute to Bon Jovi, at 8:30 p.m. Saturday concerts: Alex Bevan at 3:30 p.m., Mo Mojo at 5:30 p.m., and Bruce in the USA, a tribute to Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, at 8:30 p.m. Sunday concerts: Big House, a tribute to the Allman Brothers, at 5:30 p.m., and Second Helping, a tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd, at 8:30 p.m. Monday concerts: River City Band at 3 p.m., Brass Band of the Western Reserve at 5 p.m., and the Akron Symphony Orchestra Pops at 8 p.m.
TODAY-SUNDAY
Orrville — Carnival midway with rides, games and food at Orr Park, 6 to 11 p.m. Friday, noon to 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. ASA Girls 14-and-under Fast Pitch Softball Tournament Friday-Sunday. Cornhole toss tournament Saturday. Free bicycle giveaway Saturday. Firecracker 5K Run/1-mile Fun Run at 8:30 a.m. Saturday. Twirling exhibition at 6:30 p.m. Sunday at the basketball courts. Fireworks at about 10:15 p.m. Sunday.
SATURDAY
Brunswick — Concert by the Brunswick Community Band at 7 p.m. at the Recreation Center outdoor stage, 3637 Center Road.
Canal Fulton — Fireworks at 10 p.m. at St. Helena Heritage Park.
Hiram — Concert at 7 p.m. at Hiram College Martin Commons area with Foster Brown and Friends. There will be no fireworks this year.
Hudson — Fireworks at Barlow Farm Park, 9:30 p.m.
Portage Lakes — Light Up the Lakes night time boat parade, 9:30 p.m. to midnight.
SUNDAY
Brunswick — Patriot Party at the Recreation Center, 3637 Center Road, noon to 5 p.m., admission free. Take advantage of the fitness center, gymnasium, track or a swim in the pool. Fireworks display at 10 p.m. on the high school grounds. Bring lawn chairs because of stadium construction.
Fairlawn — Concert at 8 p.m. with Brass Band of the Western Reserve at Bicentennial Park on South Smith Road. Fireworks about 10 p.m. Free shuttle bus rides to and from Summit Mall starting at 7 p.m. in Dillard’s east parking lot.
Portage Lakes — Boat parade from 1 to 4 p.m., starting at Kieffer’s Marine on East Reservoir and ending at New State Park on Turkeyfoot Lake. Sand castle-building contest will be held at New State Park from 2 to 4 p.m. Fireworks at 10 p.m. from Mason’s Point on Turkeyfoot Lake. Rain date Monday at same time.
Medina — Fireworks at dusk on Medina High School grounds.
Spencer — Car cruise-in at Firestone Park from 4 to 10 p.m. DJ, vendors and food.
Wadsworth — Fireworks at dusk at Memorial Park on Grandview Avenue.
MONDAY
Akron’s Castle Park neighborhood — Parade at 10:30 a.m. on Castle Boulevard starting at Dartmouth Avenue. Registration 10 to 10:25 a.m., 50-cent fee. Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and military veterans invited to march. Prizes for most patriotically creative bikes and trikes, wagons and strollers, walkers and inline skaters, best-dressed pet.
Alliance — Festival at Silver Park on South Union Avenue, 5 p.m. to dusk. This year’s theme is ‘‘Alliance During the Time of the Civil War.’’ It will include a sand sculpture display by Laurie Tournoux and a Civil War cannon. Carnation Queen candidates at 7 p.m. There will be a scavenger hunt, face painting and a jump house as well as food concessions. Music provided by Class Action. Fireworks at dusk.
Aurora — 5K and Fun Run, Bicentennial Park, state Route 43 and East Pioneer Trail, at 8 a.m. (registration at 7 a.m.). Parade at 11 a.m. in Town Center. Festival from 1 to 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. to dusk at Kiwanis-Moore Park, followed by fireworks at about 9:45 p.m. from West Pioneer Trail ballfields.
Chippewa Lake — Parade starts at 1 p.m. at Gloria Glens Town Hall on Lake Road and ends at Lions Park. Water ski show at 5:30 p.m. at Chippewa Lake Beach. Cardboard boat race at 6:30 p.m.
Fairlawn – Parade starts at 6:30 p.m. in front of Fairlawn Town Centre, heading west on West Market Street to Ghent Road, ending in Dillard’s parking lot at Summit Mall. Trophies will be handed out to floats, marching units, bands and novelty units.
Hiram — Family activities and bike decorating at Municipal Building from noon to 1:30 p.m. Classic cars and fire department vehicle display from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Parade at 1:30 p.m. marches north on Hayden and Dean streets, left on Hinsdale Street, south to Peckham Avenue, down state Route 82 to Hiram Christian Church. Community Band outdoor concert of patriotic songs at 4 p.m. Ice cream social and big band dance with Garretttones from 8 to 11 p.m.
Massillon — Picnic in the Park activities at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium Park, 301 18th St. SE, 11 a.m. to dark. Little Miss Liberty and Little Uncle Sam, pony rides, tug of war, food vendors and free entertainment. Fireworks will follow.
Medina —Annual Twin Sizzler Races from 6 to 11:30 a.m., including a 5K Run, a 10K Run and a 1-mile Fun Run. All events start and finish at the square in downtown Medina. Parade at 6 p.m. at Spring Grove and Liberty, ending at the parking lot behind the courthouse. Kiwanis Ice Cream Social from 5 to 10 p.m. in the square. Medina Community Band concert at 8:30 p.m. at Uptown Park Gazebo.
North Canton — Two-mile race at 8:10 a.m. and five-mile race at 8:30 a.m. at the North Canton YMCA. Parade at 10:30 a.m. from Memorial Stadium, heading west to Main Street. Celebration in the Park starts at 6 p.m. Fireworks at dusk at Dogwood Park.
Reminderville — Parade at 10 a.m. from Glenwood Boulevard to Nautilus Trail to Aurora Shores Marina, where a festival will begin at noon with games, inflatables and more.
Spencer — Parade at 2 p.m. from the police station to Firestone Park. Carnival will follow at Firestone Park on state Route 301. Fireworks at dusk.
Stow — Pancake breakfast from 7 to 10 a.m. at First Christian Church, 3493 Darrow Road. Parade steps off at Stow-Kent Shopping Center at 10 a.m., marches down Kent Road past Holy Family Church and ends at Park Drive.
Valley City — Parade lines up at 10 a.m., begins at 11 a.m. from the depot on Center Road and ends at Mill Stream Park. Antique car show and kids games at the park. Fireworks at dusk.
Wadsworth — Concert at 7 p.m. with Wadsworth Community Band on the lawn at Central Intermediate School, 151 Main St. In case of rain, the concert will be in O.J. Work Auditorium.
Wooster — Food vendors, disc jockey and other activities starting at 5 p.m. at Kinney property at Burbank and Oldman roads and Ida Sue Soccer Field. Ohio National Guard display of military vehicles. Air Bear helicopter will land at 7 p.m. Fireworks about 10 p.m.
The booms again won’t be quite as big on the Fourth of July in Akron this year.
But, there will be booms.
For the second year, the city will offer a smaller-than-usual — and less pricey — fireworks display at Lock 3 downtown because of budget constraints.
“Maybe another year we will be able to offer a bigger show,” said Deputy Mayor Dave Lieberth.
Akron scaled back last year from the elaborate fireworks over the Innerbelt that it had held since 1975. More than 10,000 people, however, attended the smaller, low-to-the-ground display at Lock 3 that was offered in conjunction with an Akron Symphony Orchestra concert.
Akron is one of several local communities that will offer fireworks during the Fourth of July weekend.
Residents can take in fireworks in Canal Fulton and Hudson Saturday and in Brunswick, Fairlawn, Medina, Orrville, Portage Lakes and Wadsworth Sunday.
Fireworks will light up the night skies Monday in Akron, Alliance, Aurora, Massillon, North Canton, Spencer, Valley City and Wooster.
No fireworks will be offered in Hiram this year.
Akron’s fireworks will be at 9:45 p.m., capping an Akron Symphony Orchestra concert that will begin at 8 p.m. The symphony will present a classic pops concert, including selections from Gershwin, Copland, Berlin and Richard Rodgers’ Oklahoma. The concert also will feature two of the region’s leading vocalists, Helen Welch and Jared Leal.
Conductor Christopher Wilkins will have fun with the orchestra by posing the musical question, “What if Richard Rodgers had used the cannon as a musical instrument in Oklahoma, like Tchaikovsky did in his 1812 Overture?”
Those attending are advised to arrive early and bring a blanket or lawn chair. Parking will be free at all city-owned parking decks and lots and the Summit County deck on South High Street.
Akron didn’t get a sponsor this year to cover the $10,000 cost of the fireworks, but did find private donors to pay for the Akron Symphony concert on the Fourth and symphony concerts that will be held in the parks this summer. The city received about $80,000 in donations for entertainment expenses at Lock 3 this summer.
The fireworks will be the finale of Akron’s annual Rib, White & Blue festival, which starts at 11 a.m. today and will feature musical acts every night, rides for kids and barbecue from 10 national rib vendors. The event is free.
For more information on the festival, visit Akron’s website at http://www.ci.akron.oh.us or the Lock 3 site at http://www.Lock3live.com.
Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at 330-996-3705 or swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.com.
