Celebrating Independence Day in Douglas County 2015
If you live in Douglas County, Colorado, you have plenty of local options for celebrating the Fourth of July. And with all the recent rain we’ve had, the chances of fireworks celebrations actually happening are pretty darn good – a far cry from previous years when the dry weather and fire concerns forced the cancellation of many events.
Let me start with my hometown of Parker, Colorado. It’s annual Let Freedom Sing! celebration will be held on from 6 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, July 4, 2015, at Salisbury Park, 11920 N. Motsenbocker Road.
If you’re an area resident, you’re encouraged to bring your blankets and lawn chairs and set up for an evening of family fun. There will be complimentary bounce houses, the wacky world inflatable, games and balloon twisting, as well as a giant slide, a climbing wall and obstacle course. Face painting will also be available at low rates.
Music will begin at 6 p.m. with the sounds of Sousa marches and patriotic favorites performed by Rocky Mountain Brassworks, a 35-piece brass ensemble, followed by Ronnie Raygun who will perform popular 80s tunes.
The fireworks, of course, will be the highlight of the evening. Billed as Parker’s biggest and best fireworks display to date, the fireworks will begin at 9:30 p.m.
Food also will be available for cash purchase from such vendors as Old Time Kettle Korn, Swirls Frozen Yogurt and Snow Business Shaved Ice.
Limited parking and handicap-accessible parking will be available for $5, cash only. Admission into the celebration is free.
Event-goers are welcome to bring coolers and picnic items, but no alcohol, grills, tents, canopies or umbrellas will be permitted.
For more information, visit www.ParkerOnline.org/LetFreedomSing or call 303.841.0353.
In nearby Lone Tree, Colo., residents are invited to attend the 19th Annual Independence Day Celebration on Saturday, July 4th, 2015 from 4 to 9 p.m. at Sweetwater Park, 8300-1/2 Sweetwater Road. Wristbands are required to get into the celebration and are available in June from the Lone Tree Arts Center Box Office.
Earlier that day, there will be a Lone Tree Liberty Dash, a 5K run/Walk and Kids 1K Fun Run at Sweetwater Park. Registration begins at 8 a.m., with the fun run at 8:45 a.m. and the 5K at 9 a.m.
For registration and race information visit the Lone Tree Chamber of Commerce website at http://www.lonetreechamber.com/. All proceeds benefit Hearts Across the Miles, an organizations supported our deployed troops.
Further south, in Castle Rock, the community’s Rockin’ the Fourth: Red, White & Boom! fireworks show will be Saturday, July 4, at Metzler Ranch Community Park, 4175 Trail Boss Road. The 30-minute fireworks show will begin around 9:45 p.m.
According to the Town, the best view of this low-flying show will be inside the park. However, for safety reasons, parking inside the park and along Trail Boss Road will not be permitted. Parking will be available at nearby parking lots, including retail and school lots.
The Town of Castle Rock will communicate any change in plans on CRgov.com/fireworks, Facebook (facebook.com/CRgov) and Twitter (@CRgov). Residents can also call the Parks and Recreation weather line, 303-660-1364, on July 4 for updates on the event.
For those who want to make a day of it or who live in Highlands Ranch, there’s plenty to do.
It all begins with the Highlands Ranch Community Association Independence Day 5K at 8 a.m. The cost is $45, with proceeds benefiting Team Red White & Blue. Starting and finishing on Dorchester Street, the course will take participants through commercial areas of Highlands Ranch, along the West Fork Trail, and back to Town Center South with “something special” promised every mile.
Registration starts at 6:30 a.m. For more information, visit https://raceroster.com/events/2015/4379/hrca-independence-day-5k.
For those who don’t feel up to a 5K, there are plenty of other options, including a Bike/Pet Parade, which is free and designed for children ages 2 through 6th grade. The line up will begin at 8;30 a.m. in the street that runs between Garbanzo Restaurant and Jack in the Box. The parade route takes participants .2 miles south on Hepburn to Highlands Ranch Parkway east and south into Town Center South parking lot.
Families may then find a place to watch the Community Parade, which begins at 9 a.m., before heading to the community’s day-long celebration that runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at both Town Center North and South.
Among the celebration’s highlights are a Max Muscle-sponsored Fireman Challenge from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., where folks can come to Town Center North to test their strength and endurance on a combat obstacle course, and a hot dog eating contest at 2:30 p.m. Sponsored by Biker Jim’s Gourmet Dogs, registration for that contest begins at 2 p.m. at the Main Stage in Town Center South.
There also will be an Independence Day Pet Adoption Fair from noon to 4 p.m. in the Square.
The community association will wrap up the day with a fireworks display, which will begin about 9:15 p.m. and will be located north of Town Center Drive near the Sgt. Chris Falkel Dr. intersection.
For more information, visit http://hrcaonline.org/.
Happy 4th!
