Jefferson County residents will have plenty of opportunity to celebrate Independence Day, with fireworks displays and other fun activities planned over the next several days.
Festus and Crystal City held their annual Twin City Firecracker Extravaganza last weekend, but numerous other celebrations are on deck for Arnold, Cedar Hill, De Soto, Eureka, Hillsboro and other local towns.
Arnold
The annual Arnold Independence Day Celebration will be held from 4-11 p.m. Saturday at Arnold City Park on Bradley Beach Road off Jeffco Boulevard near the Meramec River.
Admission is free.
This year’s celebration will have a circus theme and feature an aerialist, jugglers, stilt walkers and a fire performer, said Teresa Kohut, a recreation supervisor for the city of Arnold.
“We have a circus entertainment package from Circus Kaput,” Kohut said. “There will be balloon twisters and face painters, and kids can enjoy it all for free.
“In the past we had inflatables for the kids. But we thought this would be really fun and might appeal to everyone. Maybe Mom, Dad, Grandpa and Grandma are not all that hip on the inflatables. We thought this would be something different. Maybe even kids like to change it up once in a while.”
The entertainment will include a small magic show, too, she said.
“I want our community to have fun stuff, not the same old, same old,” Kohut said.
The event will include live music, and a variety of food vendors will be on hand, she said.
At 7 p.m., the Joe Dirt and the Dirty Boys band will perform, playing 1970s and 1980s classic rock music.
When the music stops, the sky will light up, Kohut said.
“Fireworks will begin around 9:30,” she said.
Parking for the event should be better this year, Kohut said.
“When you enter the park, turn to the left and that will give you access to parking and parking for people with disabilities,” she said. “It’s all streamlined. We want to keep the cars off Jeffco.”
De Soto
For the third straight year, the De Soto Lions Club will host an Independence Day celebration, complete for fireworks. The event is set for Wednesday (July 4) at the De Soto High School baseball fields, 815 Amvets Drive.
The event, with free admission, will kick off at 5:30 p.m. with the second annual Ivan Gibson Memorial Water Fight, featuring several local fire departments and fire protection districts. The fight honors former De Soto Fire Department Chief Ivan Gibson who started the city’s fireworks celebrations more than 50 years ago.
There will be a veterans’ recognition ceremony at 7:30 p.m., and Kim Drummond will sing the national anthem at around 8 p.m. Fireworks will begin at dusk.
“We’ll shoot off $13,000 worth of fireworks,” said Larry Bridges, president of the De Soto Lions. “That amounts to 915 shots into the air, with 310 of those in the grand finale.
“We’re going to make some noise,” he added.
Food, including barbecue, will be available all day at the event, which will also offer a bounce house ($1 per child for 10 minutes) and tractor-train rides ($1 per child) all day. A monster truck will be on display, and arts and crafts booths will be set up. Those booths will be free to vendors who can request them by calling Bridges at 636-208-6731 or club first vice president John Allen at 636-208-7284.
Net proceeds from the event will carry over to help cover the cost for next year’s event, Bridges said.
“We try to make the show a little bigger every year,” he said. “We want everyone to come out and have fun.”
Other events
■ Hillsboro Community Civic Club is sponsoring an Independence Day event from 6-10 p.m. Wednesday (July 4) at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds, 10349 Business 21, in Hillsboro. Fireworks begin at dusk. Attendees are invited to bring their coolers, lawn chairs, blankets and lawn games. Admission is free.
■ St. Pius X High School, 1030 St. Pius Drive, Crystal City, will offer its second annual fireworks extravaganza Tuesday (July 3). Gates will open at 6:30 p.m. Admission is $10 per vehicle. The Exit 180 Band will perform from 7-9:30 p.m., with a fireworks display at 9:45 p.m. Concessions, information tents and a raffle for a motorcycle will be offered.
■ American Legion Post 253, 849 American Legion Drive, Festus, will hold a Patriotic Day from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday. Veterans and military personnel with a valid ID will receive a free meal. Activities for children and adults will be included.
■ Big River VFW Post 5331, 1 Lynn Drive, Cedar Hill, will hold a “Fourth of July Celebration” from noon to 11 p.m. Saturday. The event will include a barbecue from noon to 7 p.m. Karaoke and DJ music will be from 7-11 p.m., and a fireworks display will be held after dark.
■ Eureka will hold an Independence Day Celebration from 7-10 p.m. Wednesday (July 4) at Lions Park, 340 Bald Hill Road. Admission is free. Fireworks are slated to start about 9:15 p.m. and last between 20 to 25 minutes, and the event will feature a concert by Dance Floor Riot. Parking will be available along Central Avenue; at the downtown location commonly referred to as the “Spur,” 394 S. Central Ave.; and the West Frisco Park lot, 14 West Frisco Avenue. Those who need handicap parking may call the Parks Department at 636-938-6775.
■ First Baptist Church of Arnold, 2012 Missouri State Road, again will offer its Celebrate America event from 6:30-9:30 p.m. Sunday. It will include a car show, rides, food, music, a stunt show and fireworks, Next Generation Pastor Jason Ervin said. Admission is free.
Registration for the car show is still being accepted on the church’s website at fbcarnold.org or the day of the show, Ervin said. Rides and inflatables will be included. A live brass band will play throughout the evening at 30 minutes intervals. Vendors will have food available for purchase. A stunt show with mountain bikes will be part of the entertainment. The church’s gymnasium will be the “cool zone” for guests to take a break, Ervin said.
For the big finale, a professional fireworks show will be featured at dusk, he said.
■ Meramec Arnold Elks, 1515 Miller Road, Imperial, will hold a fireworks spectacular on Wednesday (July 4). Live music will be featured from 4-8 p.m., and a fireworks display will be at dusk.