Independence Day celebrations are ready to roll in the area, with Platte City and Parkville both set to play host to annual events.
Platte City will hold its 8th annual Fourth of July celebration with a day full of activities sponsored by the Platte City Parks and Recreation Department.
The day will start at 7 a.m. with a 5K run through the Platte Valley Park. Participants are asked to line up at 6:45 a.m. at the Mormon Church.
There will be a free pancake breakfast from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Platte County High School. The breakfast is being provided by Christ Chapel of Platte City and will include balloon making for children also.
From 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. there will be a bike rodeo in the parking lot of the Platte County High School. A treat sack will be given to each bike rider at the event.
A three-on-three basketball tournament will be held at the Platte City Civic Center from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The cost is $15 per team for people 12 and up. Registration forms are available at City Hall and should be turned in by Friday, June 29.
The Platte City pool will be open from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. and will have free hot dogs and soda. There will also be a moonwalk, games at the pool, face painting, and crafts.
The Fourth of July wouldn’t be complete without a fireworks display. Platte City will have a display at the Platte County High School football field.
Evening activities will start at 8:45 p.m. with the VFW and community choir raising an American Flag. The community choir will perform followed by the high school dance team and the community band.
The fireworks show will start at 9:45 p.m. and spectators are welcome to sit in the bleachers to view the display. Dannie Stamper, Platte City Parks and Recreation Director, said he expects several hundred people to show up for the fireworks display.
PARKVILLE FOURTH
One of the largest festivals for Parkville is the annual Fourth of July celebration. This year’s celebration will take place from Wednesday, July 4 to Saturday, July 7.
The celebration starts on Wednesday with a pancake breakfast by the Parkville Lions Club from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the farmer’s market in Parkville.
Parkville’s parade will start at 10 a.m. and run from 63rd street to downtown along Main Street. Bill Grigsby will be the emcee and Terry Brown will be the parade’s grand marshal. The theme of the parade is “Red, White, and Blue Main Street.”
A skydiving team from Falcon Expedition will perform at 10:15 a.m. The team will perform again at 8:30 p.m.
A carnival will be held Wednesday through Saturday. The carnival will operate from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Wednesday, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday. Friday will feature “wristband night,” which means purchasing a $15 wristband allows the person to ride all night long.
The event in downtown Parkville will also have vendors and food stands serving hamburgers, hot dogs, kettle corn, and funnel cakes.
A fireworks display is scheduled for 9:45 p.m. in English Landing Park.
“The best seats are going to be on baseball field number one,” said Tom Hutsler, co-chairman of event planning for Parkville. “We’re expecting over 15,000 people this year.”
Parking is limited and Parkville is offering a free shuttle from Park Hill South High School and Park University to downtown Parkville. The shuttles will run from 6 p.m. to midnight on Wednesday.
Anyone interested in signing up for the parade should go to parkvillemo.net or call 505-2227 to get a parade participation application. The deadline to submit applications is June 30.
The Parkville Main Street Association organized the Fourth celebration.
“This is a great event for the entire family,” said Hutsler. “There’s going to be something for everybody.”

