Communities plan festivities to celebrate Fourth of July

Menomonee Falls and Germantown have plans for residents to celebrate the Fourth of July.

The Menomonee Falls Optimist Club is sponsoring an Independence Day parade, as well as fireworks on July 3 to ring in the holiday. The parade is slated for 7 p.m. on Appleton Avenue and Elm Road. The floats and marchers travel up Appleton Avenue to Woosencraft Drive before ending at Menomonee Falls High School, N8101 Merrimac Drive.

Fireworks begin at dusk, which falls between 9:15 and 9:30 p.m. They will be shot off from the high school football field.

Germantown

July Fourth is full of back-to-back events in Germantown beginning with the annual parade that starts at noon on Pilgrim and Mequon roads.

The parade travels north on Pilgrim Road to Fond du Lac Avenue then to Main Street. The route then heads west on Main Street to Park Avenue, turns north on Park Avenue and ends at Freistadt Road near Firemen's Park.

The celebration continues throughout the afternoon at Firemen's Park. Vendors selling candy, funnel cakes, ice cream, soda, brats, hot dogs, beer, lemonade, roasted nuts and shaved ice will be set up in the park. There will also be children's games, a fast pitch softball machine and nine-hole mini-golf, event organizer Anne-Marie Hoell said.

Entertainment is provided by Accompany of Kids with performances scheduled for 1:30 and 3 p.m. The band Copper Box performs from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

The festivities conclude with fireworks at dusk. The fireworks are put on by Bartolotta Fireworks.