Where to celebrate the 4th of July in Southern Indiana

Briana Pace | Southern Indiana Business Report 

Southern Indiana is gearing up to celebrate America’s 250^th  birthday. If you are still looking for something to do on this 4^th of July, here is what’s going on in the area: 

Crawford County 

• Marengo 4th of July celebration, Marengo 

• Beginning July 2, downtown Marengo will host a three-day extravaganza with vendors each day. The Miss 4^th of July Pageant will take place July 2 at 5 p.m. with karaoke following until 10 p.m.  

• July 3^rd‘s festivities will start at noon with vendors and live music by Justin Miller and The Elements of Sound. At 5 p.m., the foam party begins with more live music to follow at 7 p.m. by Linda Smith Band. 

• The Firecracker 5K will kick off July 4^th’s events at 9 a.m. The race begins at the Boys & Girls Club of Crawford County and takes racers underground through a Marengo Warehouse. At 11 a.m., the car show will start along with a live music impersonation of Hank Williams. More live music will be performed by Luke Edlin at 1:30 p.m. and the parade will follow at 4 p.m, starting at the American Legion Post. More family events will take place after the parade until the fireworks show at 10 p.m.  

• Thunder Over Patoka and 4^th Fest, Patoka Lake 

• The celebration begins at 10 a.m. with the Camp Host Parade, followed by relay races and games at the playground at 11 a.m. 

• Fireworks over the lake will start at dusk and can be viewed from a boat on the lake, the beach or the designated viewing area, section C of the Modern Campground. 

Daviess County 

• July 4^th Celebration at Eastside Park, Washington 

• The four-day event kicks off July 1^st at 5 p.m. with carnival rides, games and concessions, which will continue at the same time throughout the week in the park. In addition, July 2^nd and 3^rd , there will be live music from 7-9 p.m. 

• On July 4^th, the carnival and concessions will open at 4 p.m., live music following at 5 p.m. and the night will conclude with a firework show starting at 10 p.m.  

Dubois County 

• Downtown Chowdown: Patriotic Park Party and Pool Party, Jasper 

• Beginning at 5 p.m., there will be live music, food trucks, along with other family-friendly activities at Jaycee Park.  

• The Jasper Pool, adjacent to the park, will host a pool party from 7:30-9:30 p.m. Entry will be $5 per person. 

• At 10:15 p.m., the evening will end with a drone show, visible from both the pool and the park. 

• Red, White & Boom Night at League Stadium, Huntingburg 

• Dubious County Bombers will take on the Danville Dans on July 4 at the League Stadium in Huntingburg. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. and the first pitch is at 6:30 p.m.  

• Tickets cost $8 for general admission, $10 for reserved chair back seats and $120 for VIP scoreboard seats. Unless, you show up “in jean shorts with a Kid Rock cassette tape in one hand and a bald eagle tethered to the other.” In that case, you will receive free admission.   

• After the game, fans can head down to the field to watch a fireworks show. 

Greene County 

• Linton Freedom Festival, Linton 

• The event kicked off June 30 with the carnival at Humphreys Park. It will be open for the rest of the week from 6-10 p.m., ending July 4. Rides require one ticket per ride per person. Tickets can be purchased at one ticket for $3, 10 tickets for $28, or on July 1, July 2 and July 3; armbands for unlimited rides are available for purchase at $30 per person. Those will not be sold July 4.  

• There will be live music each night, beginning at 7 p.m. July 1, 6:30 p.m. July 2 and 3; and 6 p.m. July 4.  

• The parade will start at 10 a.m., July 4 on North Main Street. Fireworks will begin later that day at 10:30 p.m. and can be viewed from Humphreys Park or the Linton Youth League Sports Complex. 

• July 4^th Celebration Fireworks Show at Bloomfield Town Park and “Float with Fireworks”, Bloomfield 

• At Bloomfield Town Park, there will be food trucks beginning at 6 p.m. and live music will start at 8:30 p.m. with the Greene County Community Chorus. At 9:15 p.m., the Greene County Community Band will take the stage and at 9:45 p.m., the Shawnee Theatre will perform songs and skits.  

• The Bloomfield American Legion Post color guard will present the colors and the fireworks show will start immediately after. 

• “Float with Fireworks” will take place at the Bloomfield Pool from 7-11 p.m. for those who would rather relax in the water and watch the show. The first 400 guests will receive free admission. 

Lawrence County 

• Mitchell’s Annual Fireworks Show at Lehigh Field 

• The event starts with food trucks arriving at Lehigh Field at 3 p.m., then at 4 p.m. Southern Indiana’s Classic Hits WQRK 105.5 will start their live broadcast from the field. From 6-8 p.m., there will be a DJ and a fireworks show will begin at dusk. 

• Bedford 4^th of July Parade and Fireworks, Bedford 

• Before the parade steps off, there will be a flag raising ceremony at the corner of 16^th and I streets and just before participants step off at noon, there will be a military aircraft flyover down 16^th Street. The parade will start at the corner of M and 15^th Streets.  

• At dusk, a fireworks show will start. They will be visible within one mile of Wilson Park.  

Martin County 

• Shoals Catfish Festival, Shoals 

• The four-day celebration kicks off July 2 at 5 p.m. with a business decorating contest, a sidewalk chalk contest for kids up to 12 years old at 6 p.m., in front of SC Draperies; a benefit auction at 6:30 p.m., at the fire station; and a kiddie tractor pull at 7 p.m. at the post office.  

• Festivities on July 3 begin at 7 a.m. with the bridge fishing contest on the Highway 50 bridge and will be followed by the pickleball tournament, cornhole tournament, men’s softball tournament, kickball tournament. There will also be pony rides, an egg toss, and at 6:15 p.m., the opening ceremony. After will be the pageantry contests and live music. 

• July 4, the fishing contest resumes at 7 a.m. and the Catfish 5K walk/run takes off at 7:30 a.m. Afterward, the previous day’s tournaments will begin again and the parade will start at 2:50 p.m. Live music will follow and a fireworks display will start at 10 p.m. at the Ball Park. 

• On July 5, there will be a volleyball tournament at 9 a.m., the Catfish Cookin’ Contest at 2 p.m. and a baby show along with a pie baking contest. The festivities will wrap up with live music starting at 4 p.m.  

• Loogootee 250^th Anniversary 4^th of July Kickoff Party, Loogootee 

• On July 2, starting at 6 p.m., live music will be playing at the Loogootee Pavilion with food and drink vendors. At 10 p.m., the fireworks show will begin. 

• West Boggs Park Fireworks celebration, Loogootee 

• Starting at 4 p.m. July 3, there will be bounce houses, mini golf, food trucks and kids’ crafts at the park. Live music featuring Cody Ikerd and the Sidewinders will begin at 7:45 p.m. Fireworks will kick off once the sun goes down. 

Orange County 

• Paoli Freedom Fest, Paoli 

• July 4 at 10 a.m., on the Paoli Courthouse lawn, a time capsule buried during 1976 will be opened. There will also be a ceremonial planting of a “Liberty Tree” with a bronze plaque commemorating America’s 250^th birthday. 

• The police department versus fire department softball game starts at 6 p.m. at Jaycee Park. There will be food trucks, bounce houses, face paint and other children’s activities with the fireworks show beginning at 10 p.m. 

• Fourth of July Weekend at French Lick Resort, French Lick and West Baden 

• West Baden Spring Hotel 

• The festivities start July 2 at noon with a cookout by the pool and music from a DJ. In the atrium from 5-9 p.m., there will be live music and at 6 p.m. in East Park there will be a showing of “Field of Dreams” and “A League of Their Own,” for Americana Movie Night. A food truck will also be at East Park from 6-9:30 p.m. 

• Excluding movie night, the same events will take place at the same times and locations July 3 and 4. 

• July 5, there will be live music at the atrium from 5-9 p.m. 

• French Lick Springs Hotel 

• July 2, yard games will be on the front lawn all day and from 9 a.m.- 7 p.m., red, white and blue tie-dying and patriotic slime crafts will be in the activities center. Music, games and prizes will be at the outdoor pool party from 1-4 p.m and live music will play from 6-9 p.m. at the Valley Bar and Grill as well as the veranda. 

• Crafts, yard games, outdoor pool party activities, live music at the Valley Bar & Grill and the veranda will take place at the same times and locations on July 3 as the day before. In addition, there will be caricatures from 5-8 p.m. on the veranda, s’mores in the activities center from 6-7:30 p.m. and food trucks outside the exhibition hall from 7-10 p.m. Inside the hall, Eighty-Sixt will perform from 7-8:30 p.m., with First & Main immediately following. At the indoor pool, there will be a kids’ glow pool party from 8:30-10 p.m. Ending the day’s festivities will be a drone show on the front lawn of the French Lick Casino at 10 p.m. 

• July 4, activities start with a pickleball tournament at the French Lick Courts, at 10 a.m. On the front law from 11 a.m.- 5 p.m. will be a bounce house, at 3 p.m. a cornhole tournament and at 8 p.m., a pie eating contest. Winners of all tournaments and contests will receive a trophy. Behind the activities center, from 11 a.m.-5 p.m., will be carnival games with prizes; game tickets can be purchased for $1 each. Inside the activities center, from 2-4 p.m., will be face painting and, from 6-7:30 p.m., s’mores. Inside the exhibition hall will be a DJ from 7-8 p.m. with a performance by Southern Accents immediately following. At 10 p.m., on the French Lick Casino Front Lawn, there will be a fireworks show. Crafts, yard games, outdoor pool party activities, food trucks and live music at the Valley Bar & Grill and the veranda will take place at the same times and locations on July 4 as the days prior. 

• Yard games and crafts will take place and the same times and locations as the previous days July 5.  

• Orlean’s America Concert in the Park and fireworks show, Orleans 

• At the Orlean’s Town Square Park, the “Sweetwater” concert will begin at 7 p.m., along with an ice cream social. The first 250 attendees will get free ice cream.  

• At 9:45 p.m. at the Orleans Airport on July 4, the fireworks show will begin. 

Washington County 

• 196^th Pekin 4^th of July Parade and Festival, Pekin 

• The celebration will begin July 3 with a three-on-three basketball tournament at 1 p.m. At 3 p.m., the flea market will open and at 5 p.m., the food court, kid zone and petting zoo will open. Juice Box Heros will perform from 7-10 p.m. with an intermission from 8:30-9 p.m. for a dessert auction. The fireworks show will start at 10 p.m.  

• July 4, the parade will start at 10 a.m. at Eastern High School. Immediately after the parade will be the opening ceremony. From 11 a.m.- 9 p.m., the food court, flea market and kid zone will be open. Pageant contests will start at 1 p.m. and continue until the winner is crowned at 5 p.m. A time capsule from 1976 will be opened at 5:45 p.m. and from 6-8 p.m., Cade Jones will perform. Following will be closing remarks from the Pekin Community Betterment Organization. 

• Firecracker 200 Weekend, Salem 

• Salem Speedway will host races July 3 and 4; pits open at 11:30 a.m. July 3 and noon July 4. On both days, the races will start at 7 p.m. A fireworks show will follow the July 4 race.