Events are planned in area counties to celebrate the Fourth of July this weekend. From music to car shows and fireworks, organizers promise family style entertainment at every venue.
Randolph County
The Elkins-Randolph County Chamber of Commerce and Mountain State Street Machines will have its annual Cruise-In along the streets of downtown Elkins beginning at 4 p.m. Friday. Entertainment will be at the Elkins railroad depot. Fletcher Rollison will perform from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and the band Lucky Enough will entertain from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Concessions will be sold throughout the evening.
Mountain State Street Machines Car Show will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in the Elkins City Park.
Jolly Roger Motorsports will conduct one-eighth mile drag races at the Elkins-Randolph County Airport on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. All cars are welcome but racing slicks are not allowed. Registration to race will be from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Patriot Poker Run registration will be from 9:30 a.m. to noon Saturday at Elkins City Park tennis courts.
Military Hour will be from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at the Davis & Elkins College amphitheater.
George Shingleton Band performs from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday at the D&E amphitheater, immediately followed by the Colgate Country Showdown finals.
Fireworks display over the campus of D&E College will be at approximately 9:30 p.m. Saturday.
Barbour County
Fireworks at the Barbour County Fairgrounds will be Friday at 10 p.m. Gates will open at 7:30 p.m. and donations will be accepted to help offset the costs. Several food vendors will be open.
Tucker County
The Parsons Park Board's annual Fourth of July picnic will begin at 1 p.m. Saturday in Mill Race Park. The event includes free food, contests and door prizes.
Mountaineer Days in Thomas begins Friday at 7 p.m. with the coronation of Mr. and Miss Mountaineer in the Miners & Merchants Bank parking lot and will continue throughout the weekend.
Fireworks will be at dark on Friday in Thomas as part of the Mountaineer Days celebration.
The Mountaineer Days parade will begin at noon on Saturday in Thomas.
Adair Smith will take the stage at 4:30 p.m. Saturday in the bank parking lot in Thomas followed by "Elvis" at 7 p.m.
On Sunday, the Thomas Fire Hall will be the host of the pancake breakfast from 8 a.m. until noon.
Upshur County
The Independence Day celebration and fireworks display will begin at 5 p.m. Friday at Buckhannon-Upshur High School. Admission will be $5 per car. A rain date for the celebration has been set for July 10. The Rivertowne Band from Marietta, Ohio, will headline the evening's entertainment and local clowns, Fuzzy and Stubbles, will entertain.
Lewis County
The annual Weston Volunteer Fire Department's Independence Day celebration will be Saturday at the Robert L. Bland Middle School Athletic Field. All are invited to come and enjoy a fun-filled evening, capped off with one of the largest fireworks displays in northcentral West Virginia. This year's fireworks are sponsored in part by the Lewis County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Concessions, games of chance, games for children, a dunking machine and other activities are also available. The Richards Brothers will perform from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Mountain Fury will perform from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. In the event of rain, the concerts will take place in the Robert L. Bland Middle School gymnasium. Friday's schedule is as follows: coronation of the Flame Queen at Weston Volunteer Fire Department, 4 p.m.; parade lineup in Robert L. Bland Middle School parking lot, 4 p.m.; Feature Parade, 5 p.m.; gates open immediately after the parade; Richard Brothers, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.: crowning of the Flame Queen, 7 p.m.; Mountain Fury; and fireworks, 10 p.m.
Pocahontas County
Snowshoe Mountain Resort's Independence Day celebration begins Wednesday and wraps up with a Community Day Sunday. Guests are invited to take part in games, children's activities, enjoy live music on the Village Stage, a day of play on the Orbitron, Eurobungy and climbing wall, arts and crafts, adventurous hikes, a "spectacular" mountaintop fireworks display on Saturday night, and more.
