CENTRAL OKLAHOMA – The 12 central counties of Oklahoma, known as Frontier Country, are packed with many special Fourth of July celebrations for the whole family to enjoy for free.



Chickasha

The City of Chickasha will continue it's annual firework display on Wednesday, July 4, beginning at dusk (after 9 p.m.) at Shannon Springs Park. KOOL 105.5 will broadcast music to go along with the fireworks. Speakers will be set up at the park and residents can tune-in if they are not in the park. Sponsors will include Charles Allen Ford-Lincoln-Mercury, John Holt Auto Group Stanley's, LaForge Properties, A&E Grill, Eduardo's, Century 21/Mosley Agency, Jay Epperson/Ouachita Exploration and Kool 105.5 FM



Anadarko

Spend your 4th of July at the Anadarko “Honor America Day” in beautiful Randlett Park from 6-10 p.m.  Kids, big and small, can enjoy a 22’ slide, a 25’ slip 'n slide, and moon bounce castle free throughout the evening.

Bring your appetite and visit our food booths including: KIG Q BBQ and turkey legs, VFW Post 1015 meat pies and cold drinks, Sheri’s Snack Shack’s shaved ice, cheesecake on a stick and nachos, Simply DelecTable homemade fried pies, Reese's brownies and steak sandwiches on a homemade jalapeño sour dough bread, Pop's Sweet Shop’s BBQ, turkey legs and shaved ice and finally Lopez’s Mexican Cuisine serving tamales, tacos, roasted corn and more.

Face painting, glitter tattoos & arts and craft vendors of all types will be under the trees east of the Bandstand, where the crowd will enjoy a FREE concert with Bag O’ Bones from 6 p.m. – 7 p.m., Stone Horses 7:15 p.m. – 8:15 p.m. and Rusty Traywick Band from 8:30 – 9:30 p.m..

At dusk, VFW Post 1015 will present the colors and salute to the National Anthem as we honor our Soldiers young and old!  The veterans will be selling their “Vets Helping Vets” commemorative pins, and also holding a 50/50 drawing every hour on the hour; along with a raffle at this year’s fundraising event.

Visit Angela Chaddlesone McCarthy at the American Indian Exposition Booth to purchase your expo bracelets ($10/4 day admission) and donate to support the expo 2012!

At dark your heart will race as you experience  the biggest fireworks show in Caddo County!  So bring your picnic blanket, lawn chairs and pop up tents, kids and grandkids to Anadarko’s Randlett Park for an evening of feast, fun and festivities!!!

For more information contact the Anadarko Chamber of Commerce at 106 E. Broadway or call (405) 247-6651.



Blanchard

Independence Celebration! The annual Independence Celebration hosted by the City of Blanchard will be held at the South Park complex located on Tyler Street in Blanchard on Tuesday, July 3rd from 6pm-10pm. There will be lots of fun activities for the whole family with free inflatables, refreshments and more! Fireworks at sundown. Bring your lawn chairs or blankets. For more information, please contact Chris Wittenbach at 405-485-9392.



Edmond

Edmond boasts a week-long Independence Day celebration during LibertyFest from June 23-July 4 with 11 total events to excite, entertain and dazzle festival-goers. Festival events include a car show, chalk contest, concert, rodeo, parade and more. LibertyFest entertains an attendance of over 125,000 annually and is Oklahoma's largest hometown Fourth of July parade beginning at 9 a.m. on July 4 in downtown Edmond. That night, ParkFest begins at 6:30 p.m. on the UCO campus with inflatables, games, entertainment and the metro area’s largest fireworks display at 10 p.m.



Moore

A Celebration in the Heartland is an outdoor festival for the whole family to enjoy from 5 to 10 p.m. on July 3 and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on July 4. This free, two-day event at Buck Thomas Park features a variety of food and entertainment including inflatables, children’s tent, arts and crafts, car and bike show, sand volleyball tournament and live music. On July 4, the festival concludes with a spectacular fireworks display at dark.



Oklahoma City

Join the Oklahoma City Philharmonic at State Fair Park on July 3 for an evening of popular and patriotic music as they perform a free concert during their annual Red, White & Boom celebration. Bring your lawn chairs for the outdoor concert featuring conductor Joel Levine and soloist Susan Powell beginning at 8:30 p.m. with a spectacular 20-minute fireworks show at 10 p.m. Concessions will be available.

Oklahoma City’s Bricktown Fireworks Extravaganza begins at 9:30 p.m., July 4. Watch the magnificent Fourth of July fireworks from anywhere in Bricktown. Choose one of many patios or bring your own lawn chairs and blankets. Free parking is available beginning at 7 p.m. in the RedHawks Parking Lot east of the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark.

The Oklahoma Railway Museum features a special Independence Day Train Ride July 7. The train leaves Oakwood Depot at the museum at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., noon, 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for 15 years and up, $5 for 14 to 3 years and free for children 3 and under. Receive one dollar off with military ID.



Pauls Valley

This Independence Day, July 4, Pauls Valley will celebrate with a nationally-renowned watermelon seed-spitting contest, family events and fireworks displays.

Immortalized in the original edition of the popular, bestselling family board game, TRIVIAL PURSUIT, the Annual World Championship Watermelon Seed Spittin’ Contest will reach its 55th year in 2012 and has become synonymous with Pauls Valley!  Held annually on July 4th, in conjunction with the Kiwanis Independence Day Fireworks show, this event brings INTERNATIONAL recognition for Pauls Valley and is well known for being a Nostalgic, Family Friendly Event.

Since 1957 when the contest began, it has received national attention from past winners serving as contestants on the syndicated game show “What’s My Secret?” to being mentioned in the Guinness Book of Records, Ripley’s Believe It or Not, and in Trivial Pursuit’s® board game.  Last year’s participation was one of the largest ever as people signed up in one of the six aged-based categories attempting to break the record of Jack Dietz of Chicago.  Dietz launched a seed 66 feet 11 inches in 1989.

 Registration will begin at 6 p.m. in the Football Stadium at Wacker Park for both male and female contestants in categories for ages 12 years old & under, 13 to 18, and 19 and above.  Registration and admission to the event is free, but space is limited for contestants so be sure to be on time to sign up!

 Pauls Valley’s celebration begins at 5:00 p.m. at Thompson Field football stadium in Wacker Park.  The Pauls Valley Kiwanis sponsors a good old-fashioned hamburger and hot dog cook-out with iced-cold drinks, live music, inflatables and kids activities and ends the day with



Prague

The Celebrate America event in Prague begins at 9 a.m., July 4 with an opening ceremony followed by a full day of free family-friendly events. Celebrate America includes a parade at 9:45 a.m., free watermelon, horseshoe tournament, volleyball tournament, softball challenge, swimming and a spectacular fireworks display at dark.



Shawnee

Shawnee Twin Lakes’ Annual Independence Day Boat Parade is July 4 beginning at 5 p.m. Bring chairs and refreshments and enjoy the Boat Parade on the Shawnee Twin Lakes from Glen Collins Memorial Park or Isaac Walton Park.

FireLake Grand Casino in Shawnee hosts the FireLake Grand Firework Display featuring good food, games and live music in the FireLake Grand Events Center at 7 p.m. and a fireworks show at 10 p.m.



Stillwater

Stillwater’s annual Boomer Blast includes all-day fun at Boomer Lake with a family fishing tournament beginning at 6 a.m. and concluding with a fireworks display at dusk.



Yukon

Yukon hosts their annual Freedom Fest July 3-4 with several activities for the whole family. Freedom Fest activities begin at 5 p.m., July 3 at Chisholm Trail Park with live outdoor concerts by The Rodeo Opry and Irv Wagner’s Concert Band. A fireworks show at 10 p.m. will pay tribute to American veterans.

Festivities on July 4 kick off at 8 a.m. with the annual Cherry Bomb Triathlon and Stars & Stripes Sand Volleyball Tournament. Throughout the day enjoy a parade, car show, craft tents, inflatables, swimming at City Splash and a variety of family activities and games. Also enjoy live music and entertainment by the Roland Bowling Band, Mike Black and the Stingrays, and the United Freestyle Stunt Team. Evening events on July 4 at Chisholm Trail Park and Gazebo include free watermelon and ice cream, live concert by Super Freak, hot dog eating contest and more. The finale on July 4 features a free concert at the Gazebo by the Oklahoma City Philharmonic at 8:30 p.m. and concludes with a fireworks show at 10 p.m.

For more information on these events or to see a full calendar of events, visit www.oktourism.com or call (405) 232-6552.