By Susan Schell
North Olympic Peninsula residents will celebrate Independence Day from port to prairie in a flurry of activity Friday with fireworks, parades, music and fun.
Parades in Forks and Port Angeles will step off at different times so they don’t coincide with one another.
And of course, there will be fireworks. Gigantic splashes of color will burst through the night skies over Port Angeles, Port Townsend and Forks.
Port Angeles
A daylong celebration of America’s birthday is scheduled Friday in Port Angeles, featuring music at City Pier during the afternoon and evening hours.
Five bands play at City Pier beginning at 4 p.m. with Naki’i playing traditional and contemporary Hawaiian music.
Also scheduled on the pier stage are:
* Cherry Hill, a traditional bluegrass band, at 5 p.m.
* The Olympic Jazzmen, swing and jazz music, at 6 p.m.
* Delta Rays, Cajun dance music, at 7 p.m.
* Deadwood Revival, the former Tongue and Groove, will wrap up the stage sets around 8:30.
Fireworks are scheduled to start around dusk.
In downtown Port Angeles, the third annual parade will begin at 6 p.m. on a new route at Fourth and Lincoln streets.
The parade will move north on Lincoln, turning left onto First Street. The procession will then go through downtown on First Street to Valley Street, where it will disband.
There will be announcers in the 200 block of South Lincoln Street and in front of the fountain on Laurel Street.
The Home School Band will perform a variety of music during the parade in front of the Federal Building at the intersection of Oak and First streets.
Old Fashioned 4th of July
The Forks Old Fashioned 4th of July celebration spanning Friday through Sunday is the major event of the year in the West End’s largest community.
Each day has a number of highlights allowing children and adults to enjoy themselves.
Friday’s events include the kiddies parade, Grand Parade, Lions Club salmon bake, demolition derby and fireworks.
The kiddies parade begins at 11:45 a.m. on Main Street, followed by the grand parade starting 15 minutes later at the Thrifty Mart Shopping Center on the south end of town.
The grand parade finishes at Tillicum Park.
Officials said they are still accepting entries for the parade.
The salmon bake begins at noon, the demolition derby at 3 p.m., and fireworks are scheduled to blaze skyward at dusk. All the events are at Tillicum Park.
Friday gets under way with the Elks Club breakfast from 8 a.m to 11 a.m. at 941 Merchants Road.
There’s an arts and crafts show from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Middle School, 121 S. Spartan Ave.
A horseshoe tournament and frog jumping contest will be held Saturday at Tillicum Park at 9 a.m.; a kiddies playday will be held 2-4 p.m. at Tillicum Park and a cribbage tournament at 6 p.m. at the VFW hall.
The Firecracker Fun Run starts at 10 a.m. Sunday at the high school track.
Eliminations for the log show are scheduled at 11 a.m. Sunday, with the log show set for 2 p.m. at Tillicum Park.
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The rest of the story appears in the Thursday Peninsula Daily News. Click on SUBSCRIBE to get the PDN delivered to your home or office.
