Plenty of ways to celebrate July 4 in NCWV
Jun. 25—From fireworks to 5Ks—there will be plenty of ways to celebrate America's 248th birthday in north-central West Virginia this year.
Kicking off the holiday week, Shinnston's Independence Celebration will be held July 1 at Ferguson Memorial Park. The Shinnston Community Band will perform at 8 p.m. with fireworks to follow.
Baseball fans can catch another round of fireworks on July 3 at Kendrick Family Ballpark, after the Black Bears take on Mahoning Valley. First pitch is 7 p.m.
Morgantown's Fourth of July celebration will be held at Hazel Ruby McQuain Amphitheater on July 4.
The park will open to the public at 5 p.m. with live music by The Jukebox Band, aerial acrobatics displays by local talents Brittany Mann and Marisa Jagielo, food truck vendors, face-painting and other festivities beginning at 7 p.m.
The fireworks show, supplied by Little Big Shots, will be held at dark, which will be around 9:45-10 p.m.
A fireworks display put on by Greer Industries will also color the sky over Cheat Lake at around 10 p.m.
Earlier in the day, Morgantown Running's annual "4 on the 4th " race will kick off at 8 a.m. from the rail-trail behind the Seneca Center. The 4-mile race will use portions of Mon Boulevard and Beechurst Avenue. A one-mile kid's race will begin shortly after at 9 a.m.
Rich Farms in Smithfield, Pa., is celebrating with a festival and fireworks spectacular beginning at 5 p.m. with games, prizes and giveaways. Aristotle Jones will host and emcee the event, which features live entertainment by METRO, who will take the stage at 6 p.m. Fireworks will be launched at approximately 9:30 — 9:45 p.m.
A little further south, Weston and Fairview will also be hosting celebrations on July 4.
Weston's parade will be begin at 6 p.m. followed by a street fair, roller skating, live music and fireworks.
Fairview is getting started early with a memorial 5K starting at 7:45 a.m. and a day filled with activities from a 9 a.m. parade, to a hot dog eating contest, car show, cornhole tournament, live music and fireworks at 10:30 p.m.
On July 6, Clarksburg will hold its Freedom at the Parks celebration featuring the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra at the Clarksburg Amphitheater at 7:30 p.m. A fireworks display will follow the concert at dark.
Fairmont is also celebrating on July 6 with its annual Independence Day Celebration at Palatine Park. This year's musical guests include Wanted: The Bon Jovi Tribute Band with special guest Motorcycle Drive-By and Flight Six-Six. Music will begin at 6 p.m. with a fireworks display at dark.
A scaled-down MountainFest motorcycle rally is returning to Triple S Harley-Davidson after a 5-year hiatus. This year's event will be July 4 — 7 and promises four days and nights of riding, music and entertainment. Daily entry to the event is free until 6 p.m.
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