Your 4th of July guide to food, fireworks and fun

Sunday, July 3, 2011

At the mid-point of the holiday weekend there are still tons of local events on tap, including tonight's big Pops on the River concert and fireworks show at Coolidge Park.

Whether you're planning a trip to the pool, a backyard barbecue or a fireworks-watching expedition, here's what you need to know to navigate the remainder of the weekend.

FESTIVITIES

  • Pops on the River, 150 River St. (Coolidge Park). Watch new Chattanooga Symphony & Opera conductor Kayoko Dan lead the annual musical celebration, which includes patriotic songs, movie music and a fireworks show, today at 8 p.m.
  • Red, White & Blue Days, Creative Discovery Museum, 321 Chestnut St. Create patriotic crafts, put on face paint, have ice cream and cake, parade around the museum and finish with bubble wrap "fireworks" today or Monday from noon to 4 p.m.
  • Mount Olive Freedom Celebration, Bradley Square Mall, Cleveland, Tenn. All proceeds from the Mount Olive Church of God-sponsored silent auction from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Monday go to victims of the April 27 tornadoes.
  • Fourth of July celebration, Dalton, Ga. A United States citizenship ceremony will be at 8 a.m. Among Monday's activities are a softball game at 10 a.m., an eating contest, live music and children's games.
  • Fourth of July parade, Dunlap, Tenn. The parade is at 10 a.m. CDT Monday. There also will be music, concessions and games.
  • Patriotism at the Post, Barnhardt Circle, Fort Oglethorpe, Ga. Today's 7:30-9:30 p.m. event offers music, games and children's activities.
  • Fourth of July celebration, Soddy Lake park, Soddy-Daisy. Enjoy a car show (9 a.m.-2 p.m.), visit arts-and-crafts vendors, watch contests between fire departments, hear live music and enjoy picnic food on Monday.
  • Fourth of July celebration, South Pittsburg, Tenn. Enjoy a band and karaoke beginning at 5 p.m. CDT Monday.

- Compiled by Clint Cooper

FIREWORKS

Here's where to catch fireworks today and Monday at dusk.

TODAY

  • Chattanooga (Coolidge Park, following Chattanooga Symphony & Opera concert).
  • Collegedale (Greenway off Apison Pike, following East Tennessee Symphony Orchestra concert).
  • Fort Oglethorpe, Ga. (Barnhardt Circle, concluding Patriotism at the Post).
  • Monteagle, Tenn. (ballpark).
  • Rossville, Ga. (Lake Winnepesaukah).
  • Trenton, Ga. (Wilderness Outdoor Movie Theater).

Monday

  • Athens, Tenn. (Regional Park).
  • Chattanooga (AT&T Field, following Lookouts game).
  • Cleveland, Tenn. (Bradley Square Mall, concluding Mount Olive Freedom Fest).
  • Dalton, Ga. (Heritage Point Park, following community celebration).
  • Dunlap, Tenn. (downtown).
  • Etowah, Tenn. (L& * Depot, concluding Old-Fashioned Fourth of July Celebration).
  • Henagar, Ala. (town park, following community celebration).
  • Rossville (Lake Winnepesaukah).
  • Signal Mountain (behind Golf and Country Club, following community celebration).
  • Soddy-Daisy (Soddy Lake, following community celebration).
  • South Pittsburg, Tenn. (River Park, following community celebration).
  • Trenton, Ga. (Wilderness Outdoor Movie Theater).

- Compiled by Lisa Denton

Where's the beef?

Check out these barbecues on Monday and help a nonprofit.

  • American Legion Post 40, 5956 Highway 41, Ringgold, Ga., 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m., $5 plates, all proceeds will be donated to Mount Peria Baptist Church in Ringgold for tornado recovery.
  • Hinkle Park, 148 Hinkle Community Road, four miles south of Covenant College on Lookout Mountain, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., $7 plate, benefits Hinkle community.
  • Signal Mountain Lions Club Barbecue, Althaus Park behind Signal Mountain Golf and Country Club, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. or until supplies run out, $7 pork plate or $10 per pound.

- Compiled by Susan Pierce

Tips for staying safe in the sun

If you plan on celebrating the Fourth of July outdoors, the following tips will help protect you from the sun's harmful rays:

  • Apply sunscreen 20 to 30 minutes before going outside. The key to sunscreen is the reapplying once outside, especially with children swimming or sweating. Eighty percent of one's lifetime exposure to the sun happens by the time you are 18 years old.
  • Use a sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30, which is considered adequate for all skin types. Thirty SPF offers 97 percent protection, while SPF 50 is 98 percent protection. The 1 percent makes very little, if any, difference, according to experts.
  • Reapply sunscreen every 80 minutes or so, more frequently if swimming or doing activities that make you sweat.
  • Only use sunscreen that has both UVA/UVB broad-spectrum protection. Both are necessary to be effective.
  • Use UVA/UVB clothing for children, particularly fair-skinned children. Use rash guards for swimming regardless of skin type.

Source: Andy Gershon, creator of Sunbow Sunscreen

- Compiled by Karen Nazor Hill

AT THEATERS

Whether you're eager to catch the newest films or catching up on recent releases, theaters have plenty of options for those who want to celebrate Independence Day weekend in the cool and dark. All are playing at Rave Motion Pictures' East Ridge 18 and the four area Carmike theaters: Majestic 12, Battlefield 10, Wynnsong 10 and Northgate 14. Check newspaper listings for showtimes.

  • "Larry Crowne" (PG-13). Tom Hanks returns to the screen for the first time in two years alongside Julia Roberts in this romantic comedy about a middle-age man who reinvents himself by enrolling in college.
  • "Monte Carlo" (PG). Leighton Meester and Katie Cassidy co-star in this tale about a vacation that takes a turn for the aristocratic when leading lady Selena Gomez is confused for a British heiresses.
  • "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" (PG-13). Michael Bay completes his blockbuster hat trick of films featuring the alien, transforming robots, who continue their battle for the fate of Earth.
  • "Cars 2" (G). Pixar continues the story of 2006's "Cars" as Lightning McQueen sets out to win a world-spanning race while Mater is mistaken for an undercover spy and dragged on a dangerous mission.
  • "Green Lantern" (PG-13). Ryan Reynolds plays a human fighter pilot chosen by a dying alien to don a green-and-black uniform and enter the ranks of a galactic policing force.

- Compiled by Casey Phillips