Coming Sunday: July 4 celebrations guide
For a comprehensive guide to July 4 celebrations in the Des Moines metro. see the Sunday, June 28, edition of the Des Moines Register.
Historic Hills Scenic Byway Bale Trail
July 1 to Oct. 31: Historic Hills Scenic Byway Route, Wapello, Appanoose, Davis, Van Buren and Lee counties.
View bale and scarecrow art installations along the Historic Hills Scenic Byway celebrating the nation’s 250th anniversary.
Clear Lake July 4th celebration
July 1-6, 1Clear Lake, 205 Main Ave., Clear Lake
A six-day celebration featuring a patriotic parade, live music, carnival, fireworks over the lake, and family activities. Clear Lake has celebrated Independence Day since 1856, making it one of the community’s longest-standing traditions. For more information, go to clearlakeiowa.com.
Jean Marie Cardinal, Iowa’s “Paul Revere”
July 2. 9 a.m., Riverwalk near the Shot Tower, Bell Street, Dubuque
Jean Marie Cardinal, a lead miner and trapper, escaped British forces who captured Dubuque. Paddling alone in a canoe, he traveled along the Mississippi River to St. Louis to warn them. Alerted, the residents of St. Louis defeated the British and prevented them from controlling this valuable waterway.
Star Spangled Spectacular
July 3, Storm Lake Community Parks, 401 Chautauqua Park Drive
Free, family fun along the shores of Storm Lake, with a parade, food and shopping vendors, classic car cruise, tide-tun, fireworks, patriotic ceremony, a kiddie parade, and more.
Black Hawk County America 250 Field of Honor
July 3,10 a.m., Veterans Memorial Hall, 1915 Courbat Court, Waterloo
The Black Hawk County America 250 Field of Honor will feature1,776 American flags displayed at Veterans Memorial Hall, the Vietnam Memorial and along the connecting downtown streets in Waterloo. This three-day event honors veterans, first responders, and community heroes while celebrating America’s 250th anniversary. To dedicate a flag or for more information, go to healingfield.org.
AvocaDays Community Celebration
July 3, 4 p.m., 201 N. Elm St., Avoca
The AvocaDays Community Celebration is a three-day event over the July 4 weekend with free entertainment, activities for all ages, and accessible food options. For more information, go to cityofavoca.com.
Des Moines Symphony’s Yankee Doodle Pops
July 3, 8:30 p.m., Iowa Capitol, 1007 E Grand Ave., Des Moines
This family-friendly concert features the Des Moines Symphony performing patriotic favorites on the Iowa State Capitol lawn. The largest single-day concert event in Iowa concludes with the area’s premier fireworks display over the downtown Des Moines skyline. Free. For more information, including parking and vendors, check out dmsymphony.org.
Leon annual July 4 celebration and parade
July 4, Decatur County Courthouse, 200 N. Main St., Leon
A full day of Independence Day festivities culminating in the annual Fourth of July Parade celebrating “250 Years Strong ― Honoring the Past, Building the Future.” Floats are welcome to participate in the parade beginning at 4 p.m. near the Leon swimming pool.
Independence Day at Living History Farms
July 4, 9 a.m., Living History Farms, 11121 Hickman Road, Urbandale
For USA 250, Living History Farms’ 1876 town of Walnut Hill recreates the U.S. centennial celebration the way a small town in Iowa might have done in the 19th century, with a parade, games and period baseball game at 3 p.m. Bring a picnic and a blanket or chair. Admission: $21 for adults; $20 for seniors 65 and over, AAA members and military; $17 for children ages 2-13. Children under 2 are free.
34th Army Band performance
July 4, 10 a.m., Fairfield Arts and Convention Center, 200 N. Main St., Fairfield
The 34th Army Band will bring the full concert band to Fairfield for a show.
July 4th fireworks at Adventureland
July 4, Adventureland Park, 3200 Adventureland Drive, Altoona
Spend July 4 at Adventureland and celebrate the holiday with an evening fireworks finale. Visit adventurelandpark.com/buy-tickets for tickets.
Iowa Brass concert and Declaration of Independence reading
July 4, 1:45 p.m., Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, 110 Parkside Drive, West Branch
The Iowa Brass performs a free Independence Day concert on the Village Green, part of the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site. The day will begin with a reading of the Declaration of Independence. Bring a lawn chair or blanket. Free.
In Flanders Field The Poppies Grow: Cherrywood Poppy Quilt Challenge and Quilts of Valor Exhibit
Through July 5: 10 a.m., Iowa Quilt Museum, 68 E Court Ave., Winterset
Exhibit includes a collection of six quilts of valor surrounded by 225 cherrywood poppy quilt challenge quilts with a military/veteran theme. Also, an American Album quilt featuring the 50 states in the order of when they joined the union.
National Norwegian-American Folk Art Exhibition
Through July 25, Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, 502 W Water St., Decorah
See contemporary artists creating in the Norwegian-American tradition. For more information, go to vesterheim.org.
Summer camps at the Grout Museum District
Through Aug. 3: 9 a.m., Grout Museum District, 503 South St., Waterloo
Themes include Road Trip Across America, Art in Americana, American Folklore, and more. Registration is required at groutmuseumdistrict.org with prices starting at $30.
USA 250 state park camping discount
Through Aug. 31: $2.50 discount on Iowa state parks camping
Through Aug. 31, use promo code USA250 at checkout when making online reservations for Iowa state park campsites at iowastateparks.reserveamerica.com and get a $2.50 discount per night for up to four nights.
40th Anniversary Summer Iowa Games
Through Aug. 31, various times and locations
The Summer Iowa Games presented by Grinnell Mutual will celebrate 40 years this annual multi-sport festival. More than 40 sports will be offered for athletes of all ages and abilities. For schedule, visit iowagames.org/summer-iowa-games.
250 Stops in 250 Days along Iowa’s Lincoln Highway
Through Sept. 5: online event
The Lincoln Highway was America’s first planned, improved and promoted transcontinental automobile route. Over 250 days, the Facebook page Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway will highlight a different stop daily, from monuments and museums to restaurants and roadside markers, on the Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway, a designated National Scenic Byway.
Paper Money of the Revolutionary War Era
Through Sept. 6: 11:30 a.m., Higgins Museum of National Bank Notes, 1507 Sanborn Avenue, Okoboji
The Higgins Museum presents a special display of 31 bank notes issued during the colonial period and the early statehood era. Continental currency issued by Congress during the Revolutionary War will be on display.
Prairie, Plows and the People’s College
Through Oct. 2: Farm House Museum, 601 Farm House Lane, Ames
This exhibition honors key people, moments, objects, and experiences with more than 250 primary source objects representing six themes: early Iowa State Agricultural College and Model Farm; early Iowa; immigration; national imagery; native stories; and innovation and the Victorian home.
Shaped by Immigrants: Celebrating 250 years of the United States
Through Nov. 1: 10 a.m., German American Heritage Center and Museum, 712 W Second St., Davenport
History exhibit celebrates immigrant groups that hat settled and made an impact here in the United States. For more information, go to gahc.org.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: What to know about America 250 events coming up in Iowa
Reporting by Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
