It's time to paint the town in red, and in white, and in blue.
Parades and potato salad, fireworks and free beer, cherry bombs and bratwurst; they're all part of next week's annual Fourth Of July summer spectacular.
To sort it all out, we wanted to compile for you a Patch guide of Fourth Of July events going on in our area.
Fireworks
There are again two cities for viewing fireworks this year in San Mateo County, but one location has changed.
, budgets being what they are.
Projectiles will head into the sky - ready to explode - at 9:30 p.m. sharp.
And thanks to Redwood City, pyrotechnic fans have a second choice for viewing if Foster City doesn't work as well as a location for you.
begin a litle earlier, at 9:15 p.m. at the . The show is back on track after a two year break.
Parades
Redwood City's parade is one of the largest on the Peninsula, and offers good viewing spots for spectators around as well as some fun floats to see. It begins at 10 a.m.
Half Moon Bay's annual Pooches on Parade begins at noon.
And Menlo Park has a small parade that begins at 11:45 a.m. at the Wells Fargo parking lot.
Celebrations
. If you're ready to rumble early, festivities at Leo Ryan Park begin at 8 a.m. and last into the evening just prior to the fireworks.
Redwood City's celebrations continue after the Parade, and will continue until the late evening fireworks.
Also in Redwood City, an Old-Fashioned Fourth of July begins at 10 a.m. at the , where children will be invited to hand-crank homemade style vanilla ice cream and then take a taste.
Palo Alto will host the between noon and 5 p.m., with tasting beginning at 1:30 p.m. You'll need to head to Mitchell Park for the fun.
Pacifica hosts its annual 4th of July Celebration at Frontierland Park between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.
, beginning with a Pancake Breakfast at 8 a.m., a barbeque at 11 a.m., the Pooches on Parade at noon, and the post parade Bark-BBQ.
The Millbrae Historical Society's annual July 4 Barbecue will be held in the David Chetcuti Community Room behind City Hall. The Lions Club does the barbecuing. The event begins at 11 a.m., runs to 3 p.m.
Menlo Park celebrates after its parade, so from about noon until 2:30 p.m. you can get hot dogs and other traditional summertime foods.
Runs
; it's your chance to compete in front of as many as 40,000 spectators. The run begins at 8:45 a.m.
Pacifica has the Rocket Run, a 5-mile jaunt that fills fresh sea air into the lungs of runners and makes for some happy smiles. It begins at 9 a.m.
+ + + +
Now, you'll need to make sure all the guests and family members escape the day with the reds of a sunburn, but not the blues and whites a bad case of July 4th food poisoning could bring, so for some free culinary advice.
You don't want to get caught with illegal fireworks, so read our that explains what you can and can't buy, and where.
For some sage advice on taking some great nighttime fireworks pictures, check out our photographer-in-residence, Stuart Nafey, who's got some for making those tricky-to-take pictures work.
You can check out with this link.
Finally, if you're going to do the celebration this year without the old car, the is abbreviated, so take note of what might work for you.
Surely there's a better way to finance a Little League than endangering hundreds of homes and possibly killing dozens of innocent people... as happened in the Oakland firestorm of 1989. I'm all for patriotism and the thrill of "the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air." We have plenty of both, safely over Bay waters, at our public celebrations... no fireworks of any kind should be sold, or even allowed, in private hands anywhere in San Mateo County.
George Carlin on "Rights" is coming to mind right now. :) There are plenty of safe and smart ways to celebrate our Independence, but unfortunately, some people like to use the M-80s, and other obnoxious fireworks. Same people that think they're tough because they carry a weapon (usually a stolen one). "Duh. I like to hear big explosion noises to feel like a man. It's a free country, I don't need to clean up no litter I make in public. !@#$%? you!" Yeah. Way to represent your country. May the rest of us, enjoy the holiday with good company, food, and the kind of fun that won't cause fires, scare pets, and we'll clean up after our selves.