Plenty to do this July 4

There's a lot to do this July 4 holiday.

One of the highlights of the Fourth of July near Glacier National Park is the parade at Polebridge. This eclectic, quirky and funny event features locals in all sorts of floats that run down the "Main Street" in Polebridge and then turn around and head back to the Polebridge Mercantile. The parade starts at noon. The band Dodgy Mountain Men will play July 3 at the Northern Lights Saloon and The Best Westerns will play after the parade at the saloon.

This year the Merc will give $100 to the best float and donate another $100 to the charity of its choice. Second place will get the same deal, only $50 apiece and third place $25 apiece.

Whitefish Chamber of Commerce presents the annual Fourth of July fireworks display at Whitefish Lake. Events at City Beach take place shortly after dusk. A free shuttle from the O'Shaughnessy Center downtown to City Beach will run on a loop from 7-11:15 p.m.

Lakeside on the west shore of Flathead Lake puts on a Fourth of July fireworks display at 11 p.m. Tune in to 107.3 on the FM dial to listen to coordinating music. The celebration also includes a boat parade.

Crowds line downtown Bigfork for the annual Fourth of July parade on July 4 at noon. A free pancake breakfast kicks the day off from 9-11 a.m. at the Bigfork Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A free barbecue follows the parade at the fire department. The Ducks for Bucks race is at 4 p.m. at the Old Steel Bridge, call 406-837-5888.

The Many Glacier Hotel in Glacier National Park will celebrate its 100th anniversary on the Fourth of July. There won't be fireworks, but there will be plenty of music throughout the day, including a Hootenanny at night. Musicians from the area are encouraged to come and join the celebration.

The annual Fourth of July parade in Kalispell is set for July 4 at 10 a.m. on Main Street. An old-fashioned free ice cream social follows at 11 a.m. at the Conrad Mansion Museum.

In Hungry Horse at dark the town goes a little wild as private residents line the lawns along U.S. Highway 2 and set off their own fireworks. This is not an organized affair by any stretch, and show can literally go on for hours. This year the show maybe canceled, as the county is considering fireworks restrictions in light of the extreme heat and drought.