Events abound for the 4th

Bigfork Eagle

That Flathead is full of events on the 4th of July, the only trick is trying to make it to them all.

Parades kick off with Kalispell's Fourth of July Parade on Main Street at 10 a.m. Two hours later, Bigfork gets its famous celebration started with a parade through town at noon. The second annual ice cream social at Saddlehorn Discovery Tower on Grand Avenue is a perfect spot to get ready for the parade with free ice cream starting at 10:30 a.m.

After the parade, there's a children's carnival in Sliters Park and the annual "Ducks for Bucks" kayak race on the Wild Mile to fund a shcolarship for a Bigfork High School senior.

At the same time as Bigfork's procession, parades will also be taking place on Main Street in Polson and downtown Polebridge.

Whitefish will host its celebration from 1 p.m. to midnight, with a free barbecue from 5 to 7 p.m. and live music afterwards. Fireworks will begin as soon as it's dark.

The spot to be for fireworks on Flathead Lake is in Lakeside, which will host its best fireworks display to date beginning at 11 p.m.

Not feeling up for the late night pyrotechnics? The Bigfork Summer Playhouse will be performing Footloose at 7:30 p.m. in Bigfork and the Whitefish Arts festival runs all day until 6 p.m.