Fourth of July festivities

A host of festivities are lined up for the Fourth of July in the Flathead valley. Here's a look at who is doing what:

• The Fourth of July parade at Polebridge will start at noon. There will be no outdoor live music, fireworks are not allowed. The Northern Lights Saloon will have an outdoor barbecue in the afternoon and serve dinners. Polebridge has one of the most unique and shortest parades in the valley, often with hilarious political overtones. The event usually draws 1,000 to 2,000 people each year.

• Whitefish's fireworks at City Beach will beginning at dark. The annual arts festival will run from July 1-3, and Stumptown Quilters Society will hold its annual show and sale at the Whitefish Middle School on July 2-3 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

• There's no official Hungry Horse fireworks display, but private citizens begin shooting off fireworks at dark and the show literally lasts for hours. People park along U.S. 2 to watch the displays.

• Bigfork's parade will start at noon, with an F-15 flyover, followed by a barbecue and children's carnival at the Bigfork fire hall. The annual Ducks for Bucks race will begin at 4 p.m. along the Wild Mile of the Swan River. Proceeds will support the Bigfork Area Chamber of Commerce's scholarship program.

• Fireworks from a barge in Lakeside Bay on Flathead Lake will begin at 11 p.m. The fireworks will be choreographed to music.

• Kalispell's Main Street parade will begin at 10 a.m.

• The city of Columbia Falls reminds people that fireworks are illegal inside the city limits. Roads and neighborhoods will be patrolled.