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CLAWSON/HUNTINGTON WOODS — Local cities will be throwing their annual Fourth of July celebrations in the lead up to, and on, the national holiday.
Clawson
In Clawson, the city’s Fourth of July events will start on June 25 with two races, the Free Fun Race at 7 p.m. and 5K Freedom Run at 7:30 p.m. Registration will be at Clawson City Park.
On June 28, there will be a concert in the park and ice cream social at 7 p.m. at Clawson City Park, 935 N. Custer Ave.
A kiddie parade will be held at 11 a.m. July 1, with registration starting at 10 a.m. It will start in the parking lot of Clawson Middle School, 150 John M Ave.
The city’s carnival will take place July 2-4. The hours will be from noon to 10 p.m. July 2-3 and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. July 4. The arts and crafts fair will be from 3 to 9 p.m. July 3 and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. July 4. Both will be located at Clawson City Park, with the carnival at the football field. There is an entrance fee of $3 for the carnival, which is put toward the city’s fireworks each year. There also are fees to enter the kiddie parade and freedom races, which can be paid at the events.
The Firecracker Race & Parade will start at 9 a.m. July 4 at 14 Mile and Crooks roads. It will continue to Main Street and to Elmwood Avenue. The celebration will end with the fireworks show at 10 p.m. at Clawson City Park.
This year’s event will mark 90 years since the first one took place.
“It’s a huge tradition,” Secretary of Clawson’s Fourth of July Committee Paym Weaver said. “It’s a way to bring our community together. We end up with about 45,000 people going through Clawson for this. It’s a really great and fun celebration for everyone.”
Weaver said her favorite part of the celebration is the fireworks, but added that the carnival has been a great addition to the schedule.
“This is our second year that we really had a really huge carnival. So that’s been a nice big change for the city,” she said.
Huntington Woods
The Fourth of July events in Huntington Woods will start June 27 with the Great American Baby Contest at 6 p.m. at Burton Field; the Penny Candy Sale at 7 p.m. at Burton Field; and a concert from Miss Paula & the Candy Bandits at 7 p.m. at Burton Field.
It will be followed by an event to learn archery at 5 p.m. June 28 at the Recreation Center’s gym, a pet pageant at 6:30 p.m. June 29 at Burton Field and an event called “Celebrate It” with fun activities at 3:30 p.m. June 30 at Burton Field.
The Pancake Breakfast and Old Fashioned Games & Races will take place July 1, with the breakfast at 9 a.m. at the Recreation Center and the games at 1 p.m. at Burton Field. Float-A-Boat, for kids ages 6 and older, will be at 9:30 a.m. July 2 at the city pool, and a scavenger hunt will be at noon July 2 at the Recreation Center. On July 3, there will be a boxed lunch for people ages 60 and older at noon at Hassig Park and a MoGo Bike FREEdom Ride at 7 p.m. starting at the Recreation Center.
On the Fourth of July, the city’s parade will start at 10 a.m. at Borgman and Woodward avenues and end at Burton park. A hot dog roast, as well as awards, will follow the parade at 11 a.m. A park concert with Boogie Dynomite will be at 7 p.m. at Burton Field, and the events will end with the annual fireworks show at 10:05 p.m. at Rackham Golf Course.
“The Fourth of July is definitely our highlight of the year,” Huntington Woods Mayor Bob Paul said. “It’s not just the Fourth. It’s a weeklong celebration for us from everything we have going, from family night, the pet pageants, the pancake breakfast on the Saturday morning before the Float-A-Boat contest. There’s so many different events throughout that whole week leading up to the Fourth of July.”
For more information on the events, visit recreation.hwmi.org.
Paul said the parade is his favorite part of the lead up to the Fourth of July. He also said the concert always has been a fun time before the fireworks show.
“It’s always our biggest concert of the year, too, right before (the fireworks) in the park,” he said. “We get the biggest crowd and a lot of those people, of course, walk over to Rackham and watch the fireworks and then other people have parties in their front yards and get ready for it all afternoon and evening. So it’s definitely a highlight.”
