Fourth of July Fireworks from Tempe 4th - Presented by Kiwanis Club of Tempe

Arizona is proud to present Fourth of July 2011 events all around the state. Here’s a vibrant burst of Arizona 4th of July events, listed by region or city, exploding all over our great state:

(All events below will occur on Monday, July 4, 2011 unless otherwise noted.)

Northern Arizona

• Grand Canyon – No fireworks in or around the National Park.
• Williams – Home Town Fourth of July. The celebration on July 4th and will include a fabulous parade, local BBQ, ice cream social and family activities. Visit www.williamschamber.org.
• Flagstaff – The 15th Annual Flagstaff Fourth of July Parade and Fire-Safe Fireworks – Celebrate the most spirited community events in Flagstaff. More info, visit flagstaffarizona.org
• Sedona – No fireworks in Sedona.
• Showlow – FreedomFest 2011 – Annual 4th of July Parade, festival events & the best fireworks display on the mountain. For more, visit showlowfreedomfest.com.

Central Arizona

• Tempe – Tempe Town Lake Festival or “Tempe 4th” on Tempe Town Lake. Produced by the Kiwanis Club of Tempe, this huge event at Tempe Beach Park opens at 4pm and will feature live music, family fun, a splash zone, an inflatable village, impressive food court and of course, the 60th Annual Kiwanis Club of Tempe Fireworks Spectacular – best fireworks show in the Valley – shot from Mill Avenue bridge. The spectacular family night Fireworks Show will be choreographed to patriotic and classical music and begins at 9:10pm. Get details on parking, tickets and attractions at tempe4th.com.
• Prescott – City of Prescott’s Fourth of July Celebration at Pioneer Park, located off Commerce near Willow Creek Road. All-day carnival, live music and the largest fireworks display in the tri-city area. Free admission for music and fireworks; pre-sale carnival wrist bands can be purchased for $12 or at the gate for $15. Fireworks show begins at 9:00 pm. For more information on tickets, attractions, events and parking, visit cityofprescott.net/events.
• Phoenix – Freedom Wireless Fabulous Phoenix Fourth is the largest free fireworks event in the state. Come down to Steele Indian School Park, 300 E. Indian School Rd. in Phoenix. Three stages of local entertainment, Kids’ World, classic car exhibit, food and refreshment vendors; the fun begins at 6pm. Expect large crowds and be sure to bring your blanket, lawn chairs and coolers. Even-bigger-than-before Fabulous Fireworks start sparking at approximately 9:30 pm.

Southern Arizona

• Tucson
  • ‘A’ Mountain Fireworks Show Desert Diamond/City of Tucson/Pima County fireworks show from“A” Mountain at Tucson Convention Center parking lot, with food vendors, beer garden, car show. Visit tucsonaz.gov for more information.
  • Let Freedom Sing’ Concert Arts Express celebrates America’s birthday with a concert of patriotic songs staged at Centennial Hall, University of Arizona. Visit arts-express.org for information.
  • Tucson Padres Star-Spangled Spectacular with Fireworks Tucson Padres vs Reno Aces holiday baseball game features All-American fun and food followed by a fireworks display at Kino Stadium. For information and tickets, visit web.minorleaguebaseball.com/index.jsp?sid=t549
• Benson – Benson July 4th Celebration Benson will celebrate the 4th of July with its annual parade, a water fight between volunteer fire departments, and a family dance at Lions Park. See bensonvisitorcenter.com for details.
• Marana – Star-Spangled Spectacular with Fireworks Arizona Pavillions hosts Marana’s fireworks show, with children’s fun, ice cream stations, live music, and beer garden. Learn more at marana.com
• Tombstone – July 4th Celebration with Fireworks Enjoy a family-style July 4th celebration with a round robin softball tournament, food booths, and street entertainment – all starting at noon. Free admission; sponsored by Knights of Columbus and Tombstone Vigilantes. Come to Medigovich Field and Allen Street at dusk for fireworks presented by the Tombstone Fire Department. Visit tombstonechamber.com for a map and details.
• Tubac – Tubac Golf Resort’s Independence Day Extravaganza with Fireworks Tubac’s annual fireworks celebration features family activities, food vendors, kids’ face painting, DJ and live music, fireworks, and special VIP packages for guests at Tubac Golf Resort & Spa – tubacgolfresort.com.

If you have additional events to share, please feel free to post them in our comments!

As an addendum to my last post – What This Scottsdale Gal is Doing for the Fourth of July – I wanted to add a couple details I found were missing from the parade’s official site, arcadiaparade.com. I emailed the parade chairperson, Johanna Boslin, and received a very kind response from her. Here, find details on parking, the exact parade route, the potluck breakfast and where Johanna recommends we sit for optimal parade viewing.

Parade Route: The parade route starts and ends at Jokake and Calle Tuberia. It heads west on Calle Tuberia to 58th Street, then south on 58th street (short block) to Calle Del Paisano, east on Calle Del Paisano, short jog to Calle Rosa, continue east to 62nd street, go north to Calle Tuberia (short blocks) then west on Calle Tuberia back to the parade start. It is about a mile for the route.

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Parking: Most of the neighbors know we have a parade that day, and park their cars in the driveways and carport and garages off the street. And most parade participants walk or ride their bikes to the start, so there is not a lot of cars and parking except for the volunteers and sponsors. You should have no problem parking on the streets close by, but we would appreciate no parking on the parade route.

Where to Sit: You will have the best luck for shade on Calle Tuberia, and go to the parade end. The conjestion at Jokake and Calle Tuberia is unbelievable. As a parade watcher, you can probably bring your lawn chairs and sit right on the street.

Potluck Breakfast and Aprés Parade: Please join us after the parade for the potluck breakfast. Safeway provides water and ice, and Bandera’s brings warm cornbread, cookies and ice cold lemonaide, Einstein Bagels gives us bagels, and a lot of neighbors bring homemade everything… Please join us for that and the fire dept. hooking up the hose and cooling everyone off.

A personal post… Knowing all the terrific Independence Day celebration options available to us throughout the state of Arizona, my husband and I have given a lot of thought to how we wanted to spend our holiday. I’d written an earlier post giving Arizona visitors and travelers some 4th of July event ideas, but what was my family going to do? The idea for this blog post was born: What does a Scottsdale resident and mother of a toddler plan to do on the Fourth of July?

We ruled out the Tempe Town Lake Festival (or any fireworks displays) because our 18-month old will never be able to hang out for hours in the heat then stay awake past sunset.

Next we seriously considered driving up to Flagstaff on Thursday night and getting up for their awesome parade on Friday morning; I even found there are still Flagstaff hotels available between $90 and $170/night. The idea only got nixed because on a late Thursday afternoon work obligation that would put us right in the thick of I-17 Northbound holiday traffic, which could get hairy, especially with the current fire conditions around Crown King/Mayer, Arizona.

The potential wildfire and traffic trouble also ruled out our third idea to stay in town for the Fourth but travel up to Prescott for their Frontier Days/World’s Oldest Rodeo Parade on Saturday the 5th. Sigh…

Then, Jackpot! I remembered that our former neighborhood, the popular section of Phoenix known as Arcadia, hosts a charming, old-fashioned Arcadia Fourth of July Parade. A-ha! That’s it! This neighborhood parade, now in its 12th year, features kids, adults and pets in festively decorated cars, strollers, scooters, bikes and tricycles.

Arcadia’s boundaries are roughly 32nd Street on the west, Camelback Road to the north, 68th Street to the east and Thomas Rd to the south. Marked by mid-century architecture, mature trees and green lawns, it’s a favorite Phoenix village that’s been lovingly maintained and respectfully gentrified by Arizona natives and young, affluent families.

So you can bet we’ll be setting up our lawn chairs and blankets along the shady, tree-lined streets of Arcadia at 8:00am. Get maps and more detailed information about the parade, route, and corresponding potluck breakfast at www.arcadiaparade.com. Hope to see you there!

Photo source: arcadiaparade.com