Enjoy the 4th: Holiday highlights
America celebrates its birthday today and the Flathead Valley will be part of the party with events from Polebridge to Polson. Here’s a roundup of Fourth of July fireworks shows and parades planned in Northwest Montana today:
Fireworks displays
Lakeside will launch its annual fireworks display promptly at 11 p.m. from out on the lake near Waterside Condominiums in Lakeside Bay. The public can view from either the public dock on the north or the park on the south side. There will be plenty of parking at Lakeside Elementary School.
Polson’s fireworks display will be at dusk on the south side of the U.S. 93 bridge. People can view the pyrotechnics from the Lake County Fairgrounds or Riverside Park.
Troy’s Fourth of July festivities conclude with a fireworks finale at about 11 p.m. in Roosevelt Park.
Whitefish sets off fireworks at dusk over Whitefish Lake across from City Beach.
The aerial show caps Freedom Fest 2012 at Great Northern Veterans Peace Park. Parking is available at Idaho Timber at 75 Karrow Ave.
Parades
Bigfork’s popular Fourth of July parade starts at noon on Grand Avenue followed by a Children’s Carnival.
Lakeside will have a Fourth of July Boat Parade on Flathead Lake. The parade begins at 2 p.m. in Lakeside Bay directly out from The Docks Restaurant and ends at the Somers public boat ramp.
Kalispell kicks off its annual parade at 10 a.m., starting at Eighth Street and heading north on Main Street.
Following the parade there will be a concert at Depot Park, plus the Conrad Mansion hosts its annual free ice cream social.
Big Arm along Flathead Lake will have its annual boat parade at 6 p.m., starting from the old RV park at mile marker 76, as well as Dream Island. The fleets will meet in Big Arm Bay.
Polson’s Fourth of July Parade begins at noon at Cherry Valley Elementary School on the corner of Main Street and Eighth Avenue. The parade will head down Main Street, turning right on Third Avenue West.
Troy’s parade will begin at 11 a.m. on U.S. 2.
Polebridge, a tiny community up the North Fork, holds its annual do-your-own thing parade at noon in front of the Polebridge Mercantile.