Independence Day celebrations slated

The Fourth of July celebration begins at 7 a.m. on Monday, July 4, with a Pop Walk beginning at 7 a.m. at the Holbrook Public Library. The 5K run or walk is just $5, and will include lots of treats such as “pop” corn, soda “pop,” “pop” sicles and a “poppin” good time. To register, call the city hall at 524-6227 or be at the library at 6:30 a.m. prior to the event.

The annual Bike Parade will follow from 9 to 11 a.m. at Hunt Park. Kids are encouraged to decorate their bikes, trikes, wagons, strollers, skateboards and more, then follow the fire truck around the park. To help prepare for the parade, a bike decorating workshop will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday, July 1.

The Fun in The Park event will also be held at that time. Join in the fun at Hunt Park with carnival games, a slip-n-slide, human foosball, disc golf, a dunk tank and lots of other fun activities.

The annual Holbrook Volunteer Firemen’s Barbecue will be served beginning at 12 noon at Station No. 3 on the mesa. The all-you-can-eat meal of slow roasted beef, beans, coleslaw and ice cold lemonade will be served for $10 for adults and $5 for children.

The firemen will also present a fireworks show at dusk at the Navajo County Complex in south Holbrook.

Joseph City

The annual Joseph City Fourth of July celebration will feature great hometown fun, including a patriotic parade that will head down Main Street beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, traveling from McLaws Avenue and ending at Tanner Park. A flag raising ceremony will follow at Tanner Park.

At 9 a.m. the games begin. Activities will include a horseshoe tournament, sand volleyball, a mud obstacle course, 25-cent kids games, a dunk booth, a photo booth and a hay ride.

At 10 a.m. it’s time for more fun and games at the park with a slip n’ slide, water balloon toss and more.

At 11 a.m. there will be burgers and hot dogs on the grill served with chips, a cookie and a drink for $6 and $5 per plate. Follow a great meal with a bowl of fresh churned ice cream for $1.50 at the churn off competition at 11:30 a.m.

At 1 p.m. you can work off some of that great food or at least enjoy watching the fun at a three on three basketball tournament at Joseph City High School.

For more information on the day’s events, contact Rachelle Hansen at (928) 587-7940.

Winslow

The fireworks show will begin at 8 p.m. on Monday, July 4, at Vargas Stadium.

Winslow’s Freedom Festival will be held on Monday at the Hayden Walton Memorial Park with vendors setting up at 9 a.m. A kids parade will begin at 10:15 a.m. with awards for best patriotic dress and best decorated bike, trike, skateboard, stroller, etc. From 10:45 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. there will be tons of games for toddlers up to 15-year-olds including a hula-hoop competition, pool noodle battles, tug-of-war, water balloon toss, ring toss and more. There will even be games for the littlest ones with a sand box treasure hunt.

Other activities include face painting, a bouncy house and dunk-a-cop. There will also be raffles, drawings, door prizes and a 60/40 raffle, with 40 percent to go to the winner and 10 percent for fireworks and the remaining 50 percent for next year’s festival.

Volunteers and vendors are still needed with booths just $15. Contact Kenn Evans at (928) 814-5824 for more information.

Taylor

Taylor will host its 62nd annual Independence Day celebration this weekend.

The annual Cowboy Poetry and Country Music session will be held at 7 p.m. on Friday, July 1, at Rodeo Park. Local and visiting cowboy poets and musicians will perform.

On Saturday, July 2, the firing of the anvil begins at 5 a.m. at Taylor Ball Field, signaling the beginning of the day’s celebration. Accompanied by patriotic music by the Jennings Band, the anvil will then travel to Freeman Park and the LDS Stake Center, and end up at the ball field on East Center Street to start the Fun Run at 6 a.m.

The Celebration Run features a 10K run, or a two-mile run or walk, and is open to all ages. Registration will be taken until the race starts. A fee of $20 will be charged to all participants who register for the run and a shirt. Please bring the correct change if you are registering at the run. A fee of $15 will be charged to participants who register for the run alone. Registration forms are available online at ci.snowflake.az.us (go to Community Info > Seasonal Events).

There will be a Patriotic Program at 10 a.m. at the Taylor Stake Center, 309 W. Willow, followed by country music at Rodeo Park at 11:30 a.m. The barbecue begins at 12 noon and 5 p.m.

The annual Night Rodeo begins at 7 o’clock on Saturday. Tickets are $10 each, and kids under 8 are free.

The evening will be festive with a fireworks show beginning at 9 o’clock, followed by a dance on the pavilion from 9:30 p.m. to midnight for $2 per person.

On Monday, July 4, the 2016 Snowflake/Taylor Softball Tournament will be held at the Centennial Fields, Taylor Field and Snowflake fields.