Fourth of July: Racine's Parade, Sturtevant's Fireworks And More

Celebrating our nation's independence with parades and fireworks is a grand American tradition we're happy to uphold throughout our community in eastern Racine County. 

MAP: Find fireworks displays in your area

And with the 4th of July falling on a Thursday, we've got a whole weekend of grand holiday fun in store, starting with the annual Sturtevant Fireworks Festival, continuing with the Fourth Fest parade and fireworks in downtown Racine and more.

So, without further ado, here's what you need to know for a fun-filled weekend:

Wednesday:
Sturtevant Fireworks Festival begins at 5 p.m. at Firemen's Park, Charles Street between 90th Street and Wisconsin Avenue. Food, live music by Step-In-Out, kids' activities and a live fireworks show with synchronized music for a great event that brings the community - both near and far - together for a good time.

Sturtevant's fireworks are made possible only because a generous group of residents didn't want to see a village tradition die when the fireworks were removed from the village budget in 2007. They took on the annual task of raising money from area businesses and more people than can be counted each year to pay for the fun of this community tradition.

Thursday:
Racine's annual Fourth Fest kicks off with a parade at 9 a.m. down Main Street. This annual celebration brings together nearly 100,000 people from every corner of the county and beyond to enjoy seeing the various groups, organizations and individuals come together for such a great time. Fourth Fest is steeped in tradition, too, having stepped off the first parade way back in 1937.

The day continues with families spending time at North Beach and then ends with a pretty spectacular fireworks display that starts around 9:20 p.m.

Friday:  
It's First Friday in downtown Racine. Come out and enjoy meeting and mingling with neighbors. The Real Racine website describes this monthly fun like this: Head to Downtown Racine for an evening of shopping, live music, art exhibits, carriage rides and much more!  Downtown Racine rolls out the red carpet the first Friday of the month from April through December.

Saturday:
Here's the chance to meet Chris Maragos, Racine native and Seattle Seahawks free safety, enjoy a great homemade breakfast and maybe win tickets to the Packers vs. Seahawks game this season.

Maragos will vist Racine Bible Church, 12505 Spring Street, from 9 to 11 a.m. This event is free and open to the public. Call the church office at (262) 637-6536 for more information.

Sunday:
Tours to the Top of Wind Point Lighthouse run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Located at at 4725 Lighthouse Drive, the lighthouse's stairs take visitors 108 feet for a really spectacular view of Lake Michigan. The building that used to house the fog horn is now a maritime museum. Reservations are required. Call (262) 880-8266.