Fourth of July events

Most of the regular Fourth of July events will take place again this year, with parades, music, food and night lights. Anyone who has driven across the valley after dusk on July 4 probably has seen dozens of large private fireworks displays, from Hungry Horse to Flathead Lake. Community events include:

• In Columbia Falls, a double-header concert will take place at the Don Lawrence Amphitheater at Marantette Park beginning at 7 p.m. In the first half, the mixed barbershop quartet Too Sharp To Be Flat will take a musical journey through America with tunes from “Home on the Range” all the way to “Coney Island Baby.” They’ll be followed by the men’s barbershop quartet Classic Touch, with harmony so tight it rings. In the second half at 8 p.m., the Flathead Valleyaires, the Kalispell-based men’s barbershop chorus, will present a concert drawing on upbeat patriotic tunes and classic a cappella harmonies.

• The infamous Fourth of July parade in Polebridge will start at noon. The Northern Lights Saloon will have a pig roast after that, followed with music by the Bus Driver Tour, a band formed in Polebridge comprised of the songwriters Danny Freund, Ian Thomas, and Paul Lee Kupfer, at 2 p.m. Touring the U.S. out of a Blue Bird school bus, their music ranges from country and folk to blues and rock and roll.

• The Fourth of July parade in downtown Kalispell will start at 10 a.m. The Conrad Mansion will offer a free old-fashioned ice cream social starting at 11 a.m.

• The third annual Freedom 5K Run or Walk in Bigfork will start at Brookies Cookies at 8:30 a.m. with registration starting at 7:30 a.m. The downtown parade will start at noon, followed by live music and food at the Bigfork fire station.

• On Flathead Lake, the annual parade of boats from Somers to Lakeside and beyond will take place during the day. The annual fireworks display in Lakeside sets up on a barge and wharf near The Docks restaurant around 11 p.m. The Marshall Catch Band will perform at The Docks beginning at 9 p.m.

• Fireworks at Whitefish Lake typically begins shortly after dusk. The show can be seen from boats and sites around the lake, but many people congregate at City Beach.