Central Point will rock the sky with fireworks sent up from the Expo.

The Rogue Valley is preparing to celebrate in red, white and blue for Independence Day, on Tuesday, July 4, but after recent wildfires and the pandemic, the most colorful events will be parades and outdoor festivities.

The “Fair City” of Central Point is preparing this year’s Freedom Festival, an annual tradition bringing together families from throughout the valley, said Steph Hendrickson, executive director of the Central Point Chamber of Commerce. Working with the city of Central Point, the Chamber of Commerce organizes the festivities.

The Central Point celebration features a pancake breakfast at 7 a.m. at the Historic Central Point Grange Hall, 436 E. Pine St., followed by the 5K “Run 4 Freedom,” a parade at 9:30 a.m. and finally a variety of entertainment in Pfaff Park known as the “Freedom Festival.”

Every year, people joyfully donate their time for potentially the most exuberant Fourth of July celebration in the valley.

“We have so many wonderful volunteers, students from Crater, Logos, so many schools. Boy and Girl scouts, city staff, people from all over the valley really. My own husband and children, too. It’s something they actually get excited about every year,” Hendrickson said.

After the community comes together to set the stage for patriotic fun, attendees turn out in style.

“So many people go all out. They come out dressed in red, white and blue. They dress up their dogs, baby strollers — it’s a sea of red, white and blue,” she said.

Hendrickson advised to arrive early to get a good spot on the parade route. Last year, over 16,000 people were estimated to have attended. The parade begins on Pine Street. Marching bands from Crater High School and Scenic Middle School, local dance groups and floats will fill the streets until the procession concludes at Pfaff Park at 10:30 a.m. An F-15 fighter jet will also fly over during the parade.

“There’s judging of the floats that happens before the parade, so if you look closely, you’ll see ribbons on some of them,” Hendrickson said.

At Pfaff Park, a unique kind of Central Point hospitality will be available for families.

“We feel strongly that anyone should be able to come out and have fun with their kids without spending a lot of money. So every non-food vendor is required to have a free activity for kids,” she said.

Over 20 food carts will be in the park along with live music performed by local bands The Brothers Reed and the Rogue River Duo.

“It’s kind of become a tradition. Last year I was like, ‘Do we want to branch out, bring in some other musicians?’ and everyone was like, ‘No! It’s tradition!’ Even the bands when they get done playing they’re like, ‘Same place next year?’” she said.

The city of Central Point also sponsors the big annual fireworks show at The Expo and offers resources from Fire District 3 to make sure the show is safe, said Helen Baker, director of The Expo.

This year’s show is limited to a 20-minute firework display with a synchronized music show available by tuning in a radio dial to classic rock station 95.7 FM. Fireworks will begin between 9:30 and 9:40 p.m., “whenever it gets dark,” Baker said.

“We had a little bit of a chill during COVID, and our attendance was way down last year. Between that and the few days we have to clean up between the festival and the fair this year, we decided to keep it small,” she said.

The parking lots will open at 7 p.m. through Gate B — formally known as Gate 1 — right in front of the Family Fun Center. A designated “citizen launch zone,” located just outside the gate with a brush truck and firefighters from Fire District 3, will be available for families looking for a safe place to set off their own fireworks.

“We’re really grateful to still have fireworks in Southern Oregon and that only happens if people are responsible. I know some people can’t set off fireworks in their neighborhoods but still want that time with their kids, so we just encourage people to bring ’em on down,” Baker said.

The city of Ashland has decided in recent years that fireworks are no longer sustainable, said Katherine Cato, director of Travel Ashland.

“For community celebrations, we heard loud and clear — they did not want the fireworks with respect to Almeda and PTSD,” she said.

There are ongoing conversations about replacing fireworks with a laser light show or something with drones, but for the moment Travel Ashland is sticking to its roots, organizing a parade with a history going back over 100 years. The parade will begin at Triangle Park, near Ashland High School, at 10 a.m. on the Fourth and continue to Water Street. A F-15 fighter jet will fly over the city near the beginning of the parade. The Ashland Parks and Recreation Commission are also sponsoring the annual Fun Run to begin at 7:45 a.m., Cato said.

“It was a little scaled back last year, but we’re coming back — this will be better than last year. This year’s theme is ‘We Thrive Together!’ In the Grand Marshal section of the parade, we’ll be showcasing local businesses going back to 1890,” she said.

Immediately following the parade, Lithia Park will be host to a festival from noon to 5 p.m., with food carts, vendors, crafts, and a kids activity zone featuring Ashland Aerial Arts, while the nearby Butler Band Shell will be alive with performances from local musicians and the Ashland City Band. The festival in the park aligns with the Ashland Arts & Crafts Market along nearby Guanajuato Way, Cato said.

For further information on local Fourth of July celebrations, check out our listings on page 15 or find them online at rv-times.com/go_rogue.