NEWS

Fireworks, parades mark July 4th holiday

Skylar Gottschalk
Special to the Journal

It’s the 4th of July weekend which means fireworks, parades, festivals, and more. This year, towns in the St. Joseph County area have some big plans. The 4th of July weekend will be packed with various events spanning over three days.

Palmer Lake in Colon is having its 16th annual flotilla. This will be held at 6 p.m. today (July 2) and the theme is  “Broadway Musicals.”

Klinger Lake will hold a firework show and boat parade today, with a rain date of Sunday.

Constantine has a lot planned for the 4th of July. Their events begin at 7:30 a.m. Monday with a firecracker 4k run and walk. Following that is a car show hosted by the fire department from 8-10 a.m. At 11 a.m. they will start their parade followed by water day which is also hosted by the fire department. This starts at 11:30 a.m. through 2:30 p.m. with food and free ice cream. To end the day there will be a movie night at the Little League fields starting at 7 p.m. followed by fireworks that start at dusk.

Colon will have a parade Monday. A midway opens at 9 a.m. and the parade starts at 11  a.m. The theme this year is "Independence Day." At the event there will be food trucks, vendors, arcade games, merchandise vendors, ax throwing, and even games for the kids.

Other upcoming events with more parades and fireworks in July and August include:

  • White Pigeon Days, July 8-9 with a car show at 8 a.m. July 9 and fireworks at the high school that evening. 
  • Bronson Polish Festival, July 21-24 Polish food served July 21 from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. There will be a base sale and bingo on the same day. On July 22 there will be a plethora of activities including a Kiwanis pancake breakfast from 6-11 a.m. at the fire station. There will be live music, a men's softball tournament, and bingo. Fireworks will start at dusk at the Bronson High School. The following day they have just as many activities with a car show at 8 a.m., along with a tractor garden show. A corn hole tournament at noon followed by the festival parade at 1 p.m. On Sunday, July 24, there will be a 3-on-3 basketball tournament around 11 a.m. at the St. Mary’s Church lot.
  • Burr Oak Heritage Festival, July 28-31 with a cruise-in July 28 from 4-8 p.m. and all cars and trucks are welcome. That same day there will be a light parade starting at 9 p.m. followed by a river of light. There will be a homemade pickle contest on Saturday, the contest is at 5 p.m. in the big tent. Their weekend has many more events planned for the rest of the festival.
  • Mendon River Fest, Aug. 18-20, has face painting, a talent show, a parade, a petting zoo, canoe swimming, fireworks, and more. The fireworks show will be on the Aug. 20 in Reed River Park. For more information will times you can visit mendonriverfest.com. 
Stateline firework store in Middlebury, Ind., is ready for all the Fourth of July activities.
Fireworks line the shelves ready for the Fourth of July weekend.
Fireworks line the shelves ready for the Fourth of July weekend.