Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Play the Fourth away

Across the county, festivals, music and fireworks are on tap to celebrate our country's birthday.

By STEVE BAAL
Published July 1, 2005

With the Fourth of July falling on a Monday, many folks will be enjoying a three-day holiday weekend. There will plenty to keep them busy.

The Pinellas peninsula will be popping with bang-up celebrations in several communities, capped by fireworks extravaganzas Monday evening.

Just for good measure, Clearwater will throw in a bonus. Clearwater Celebrates America will be a free festival July 3 and 4 at Coachman Park. It will include rides, games, inflatable slides, a craft show and lots of music.

On Sunday, the gates open at 4 p.m. for the craft show, which leads into an evening concert starting at 5:15 with the group Mercy, known for their hit song Love Can Make you Happy .

At 7, the venerable '60s and '70s group Royal Guardsmen, they of Snoopy Versus the Red Baron and Alley-Oop fame, take the stage. At 9, Motown legends the Commodores caps the concert with selections from their 22 gold and six platinum records, including the chart-toppers Brickhouse and Just to be Close to You .

Monday the gates open at 2 p.m. The Stephanie Ann Show kicks off the songfest at 5:15. Stephanie Ann, a local singer/violin virtuoso who has appeared at the Grand Ole Opry, has also performed with artists such as Tony Bennett, Dionne Warwick, Smokey Robinson and Marvin Hamlisch.

At 7:25, John and Mary K. Wilson will join the Mostly Pops Orchestra for a rousing round of patriotic music. And at 9:25 the celebration will end with a bang with the Bright House-Bay News 9 Blast fireworks display.

The City of Safety Harbor July 4th Celebration will take place Monday from 5 to 9 p.m. Four blocks of Bayshore Boulevard will be blocked off, and a 9,000-square-foot Family Zone across from the Safety Harbor Museum of Regional History will host games, inflatables and even a miniature golf course.

Admission to the Family Zone is free, but there will be a nominal fee for some activities. Food and beverages will be available for purchase. Live entertainment will be provided by solo guitarist David Bearce, beat-boxer Effex and rock & roll jam band Dixie Flatline on the stage at the end of the Safety Harbor Marina near the bay.

The marina area will also provide the best vantage point for the fireworks display, which will be launched from the Safety Harbor Spa and Resort property at 9 p.m.

Largo will continue its yearlong 100th birthday party with its Fourth of July & Largo Centennial Celebration at Largo Central Park from 6 to 9:30 p.m. Monday. Concessions will be available, and visitors are encouraged to bring their chairs and blankets to enjoy live entertainment by Parrot Beach, a Jimmy Buffett tribute band, and patriotic music by Laura Gossett as a runup to the grand finale fireworks display.

The city of Dunedin will host An Evening of Music and Fireworks at Knology Park on Sunday from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. with a concert and fireworks. Admission is free. At midnight, the Dunedin Kiwanis Club will host the Midnight Run over the Dunedin Causeway. The Dunedin Rotary Club will host the July Fourth Celebration in downtown Dunedin starting with a parade at 10 a.m. Monday on Douglas Avenue.

The parade, intended to create a small-town feel, is open to anyone, so kids who want to dress up their bikes are welcome to just show up and join in. Register at the Dunedin Brewery by 9:30 a.m.

The July Fourth Celebration continues with children's activities, food, and arts and crafts vendors at Pioneer Park until 5 p.m.

[Last modified July 1, 2005, 01:24:21]