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E-mail StoryGo Fourth and celebrate: Your guide to holiday fun
| Tuesday, Jul 1 2008 12:04 PM
Last Updated: Tuesday, Jul 1 2008 1:57 PM
You’ve got the six-pack, watermelon cooling off in the pool, and a barbecue stain on your white T-shirt, as all-American boy Tim McGraw might say.
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Fireworks scream into the air from Bakersfield College in 2006.
Kaci Robison, left, and Adrian Reyna, get ready to open the Teen Challenge fireworks stand on Union and California Avenue, Tuesday in Bakersfield. Fireworks can be sold from Tuesday at noon until 12:01 a.m. on July 5.
All you need is the boom. Welcome to Independence Day, the heart of summer. Here’s your guide to a loud and sparky Fourth.
JULY 3
• The KERN 1410 AM Independence Day fireworks spectacular follows the Bakersfield Blaze baseball game against the San Jose Giants at Sam Lynn Ball Park, 4009 Chester Ave. Gates open at 6:30 p.m.; game starts at 7:30. The show is included in the price of admission. Tickets are $5 to $9. 716-4487.
• Fireworks in Shafter with live entertainment and food at the Shafter High School football field, 526 Mannel Ave. Barbecue starts at 6 p.m., fireworks at 8:45 p.m. Free, but donations welcomed. 746-2600.
• McFarland fireworks show with water amusements for the kids, T-ball games, food and live music by country/classic rock band The Fugitives, at McFarland High School, 259 Sherwood Ave. Starts at 5:30 p.m., fireworks at 9 p.m. Admission: $1 children, $2 adults. 792-3187.
JULY 4
• Tehachapi goes all out for America’s birthday, small town-style. The Hot Dog Festival starts with an 8 a.m. “Bun Run” 5K walk/run starting at Jacobsen Middle School, 711 Anita Drive.
Pancake breakfast begins at 8:30 a.m., $5 a plate, with games, a petting zoo and entertainment at Central Park, East E and South Mojave streets. The children’s parade starts 11 a.m. at Jacobsen Middle School. Bratwurst, chili dogs, buffalo dogs and more will be available at Central Park.
Bull-riding at the Tehachapi Rodeo Grounds on Dennison Road starts at 6 p.m., gates open at 4 p.m.
Presale is $8 children 8 to 14 and $10 adults; at the gate, $10 for children and $12 for adults. Children 7 and under free. Available at tehachapiprorodeo.com.
The annual July Fourth concert features patriotic songs, show tunes, jazz and light classical music at Coy Burnett Football Field on Tehachapi Boulevard. Gates open 4 p.m. First band at 5 p.m. featuring traditional sing-along. At 7 p.m., the Tehachapi Community Orchestra performs. Pack a picnic dinner.
Fireworks begin at 9 p.m. Admission free, donations welcomed.
• Taste of Tehachapi Food and Wine Festival, 4 to 8 p.m. on South Green Street from Tehachapi Boulevard to F Street. Features 12 restaurants, a beer garden and five local wineries. Music by Friends of Cheap Yellow Mustard. Tickets $20 in advance, $25 at the door. Purchase tickets at the Tehachapi Farmer's Market (Thursdays from 4 to 7 p.m.), Mama Hillybeans, 426 E. Tehachapi Blvd., or e-mail info@TasteofTehachapi.com. 816-0529.
• 54th annual "Red, White and Boom" Fireworks Show presented by the Bakersfield Firefighters Relief Association, with performances by Sanctus Real and 800lb Gorilla, gates open 6 p.m., concert at 6:30, fireworks at 9. Bakersfield College Memorial Stadium, 1801 Panorama Drive. $10 to $15. $2 parking donation. Tickets available at any city fire station or jesusshack.com. 324-0638.
• Spotlight Theatre debuts “The History of Rock & Roll: Born in the U.S.A.,” a musical, at 4 p.m., with a barbecue at noon.
Presale tickets are $15 adults, $12 students with ID, seniors 50 and up and military, $7 children under 12. Barbecue purchased separately.
The musical follows the experiences of two couples, one black and one white, from the 1960s to present day.
“The History of Rock & Roll: Born in the U.S.A.” plays through Aug. 9 on Thursday nights at 7 p.m. and Friday and Saturday nights at 8 p.m. Spotlight Theatre, 1622 19th St. 634-0692.
• Fireworks show in Taft at 8:30 p.m., Franklin Field, Highway 119 and Cedar Street. Free. 765-2165.
• Fireworks show in Wasco at dusk in Babe Ruth Ball Park, Poplar Avenue and 11th Street. Free. 758-3081.
• Independence Day Celebration in Ridgecrest starting 5 p.m. with motorcycle racing at Desert Empire Fairgrounds, 520 S. Richmond Road. Features live music, barbecue and fireworks at 9 p.m. Free, $10 to watch racing. 760-375-2715.
• Monty Byrom’s 50th Birthday Party at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Buck Owens' Crystal Palace, 2800 Buck Owens Blvd. Tickets: $5 available through the Crystal Palace box office or by calling 328-7560. Also available through Vallitix locations, www.vallitix.com or 322-5200.
JULY 5
• Fireworks show at Isabella Lake at 9:15 p.m., shot over Engineers Point. Free, but donations welcomed. 760-379-5236.
• “Star Spangled Spectacular” in Delano starting at 5 p.m. at Delano Memorial Park, Lexington Street and Garces Highway. $8 for meal, free fireworks show. The Prisoners of Love, a Latin/old school dance band and barbecue by the Kiwanis Club of Delano from 5 to 8 p.m. Fireworks begin at dusk and will be fired from the north end of Delano Municipal Airport. Guests encouraged to bring folding chairs, blankets, or shade setups that can be carried. 725-1286.