Find fun at Arizona Fourth of July events

 Want to experience a great Arizona-style Fourth of July weekend? Head off to the state’s small towns, where Independence Day is celebrated with gusto. You’ll find everything from fireworks and parades to the more unusual.

Northern Arizona

Heber-Overgaard: On July 3, forget trying to get anywhere fast along Highway 260 through this small community in the midst of the Sitgreaves National Forest. Instead, get out of your care, relax and enjoy the parade, part of the annual Foruth of July Festival in the Pines. The parade features some 110 entries, ranging from Boy Scout troops to car clubs, and has drawn up to 30,000 spectators. It winds up at Tall Timbers Park, the locale of the night’s fireworks display. The park is also the site of a weekend-long arts and crafts festival, music performances and children’s play area.

Show Low: Surrounded by forest and serving as a gateway to the White Mountains, this citgy is usually a gfood place to chill during the summer. But on July 3, it’s abuzz with Independence Day activities. A stick-to-your ribs breakfast of biscuits and gravey starts the day at Festival Marketplace, where you’ll also find an art show and farmer’s market.

That’s followed by the Show Low FreedomFest Parade, arguably one of the biggest Fourth of July parades in the state, boasting about 130 entries and 100,000 spectators. Look for drill teams, equestrian groups and more marching the 1.5 mile route along the city’s main street. Later, the action moves to Show Low High School campus, where band concerts precede the fireworks display.

Taylor: Located in the broad valley north of the White Mountains, this small town also celebrates Independence
Day on July 3. If you’re coming the night before, be forewarned: you won’t be able to sleep in. Starting at 5 a.m., volunteers “fire the anvil” at various locales around town, a pioneer tradition that involves launching an old-fashioned anvil into the air with gunpowder blasts. Once the whole town is launched out of bed, there’s an array of activities to attend, including a barbecue and a rodeo at the Taylor Rodeo Complex. If you can keep your eyes open, the evening ends with fireworks and, later, a dance at the rodeo grounds.

From ArizonaGuide.com