Communities plan July 4 activities

The VFW in Plains is planning festivities on Tuesday. Heather Allen reported that the Trent Brooks Band will play at Fred Young Park from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the Declaration of Independence will be read aloud at 10:30 a.m. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., there will be hamburgers, hot dogs, beverages and sides for sale, and community members can partake in yard games such as cornhole, washer toss, and large-scale versions of games including checkers, tic tac toe and connect four.

Noxon will hold its annual Fourth of July celebration on Tuesday with activities from dawn until dusk. Registration for the 5k fun run begins at 7 a.m. in the park. Runners will be shuttled to the Triangle Pond area and run back to town. A pancake breakfast at the Noxon Mercantile is being sponsored by the VFW and will run 8 a.m. - 10 a.m.

The Noxon Fourth of July parade goes down Main Street at noon and entries are asked to line up by Noxon School at 11 a.m. Following the parade, a variety of activities will take place at the park, including horseshoes, kids’ games, a bounce house, bake walk, cornhole tournament and food booths. The ever popular turtle races begin at 3 p.m., followed by bingo in the park at 4 p.m. Chicken poop bingo begins at 4 p.m. as well.

For the evening, there will be a “smokeoff and dinner” beginning at 5 p.m., according to volunteer Joyce Hilt, who is excited for this year’s event. “We have some new volunteers and new energy and it’s going to be a fun day,” said Hilt, who has been helping organize Noxon’s Fourth of July events since 1976. “We are trying to have activities going all day.”

The popular fireworks display over the Clark Fork River will begin after dusk.

In Thompson Falls, activities are planned at Ainsworth Park on Saturday, July 1, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., including kids games, a bounce house, food vendors, a kids parade and live music.