Plenty of events slated for Independence Day

Crossroads Community Church is kicking off local Fourth of July celebrations early, with its fifth annual Independence Day Celebration on Thursday at 445 B St., Yuba City.

Starting at 6:15 p.m., the event includes music, a barbecue dinner and a fireworks display. Admission is free.

The Yuba-Sutter Gold Sox plan a fireworks show Saturday following their game against Sacramento Scorch.

The game starts at 7 p.m., with gates open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $5 to $10. The fireworks display is sponsored by the Appeal-Democrat.

Daytime events scheduled on the Fourth of July, Friday, include:

• Sixth annual Children's 4th of July Parade on Plumas Street in Yuba City — 10 a.m. starting at Plumas and A streets and ending at the Town Center by the fountain.

For children through sixth grade. Safety helmets are required.

The parade is sponsored by the Yuba City Fire Department and the Parks and Recreation Department. For more information, call 822-4650.

• The 14th Annual Cardboard Boat Races at Ellis Lake in Marysville — Registration starts at 10 a.m., with the boats constructed on site, and races at 2 p.m. Open to children and youths ages 8 to 17 years.

All participants must wear life jackets.

For more information, contact the city of Marysville at 749-3901.

• Annual Fourth of July Picnic in Wheatland — 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at C Street Park, 101 C St., with games, food and prizes. Admission is free. Sponsored by South Yuba Recreation Volunteer Association and the Wheatland Lions Club.

• Biggs All-American Hometown Celebration — Centered in Cork Oak Park on C Street, the daylong event includes a parade at 10 a.m. down B Street and a fireworks show at about 9:45 p.m.

The day includes a pancake breakfast at 7 a.m., hosted by the Biggs Lions Club; vendor booth opening at 8 a.m.; Gridley Cruisers Car Show at 11 a.m.; and live music by Legend at 7 p.m.

Call Angela Thompson at 868-5088, or Biggs City Hall at 868-5493 for more information.

• Live Oak swimming pool — Admission is free from 1 to 5 p.m. at the community swimming pool at P Street and Pennington Road. The free day is sponsored by the Live Oak Lions.

Fireworks shows scheduled Friday include:

• Biggs — About 9:45 p.m. at Cork Oak Park, part of the city's All-American Hometown Celebration.

• Colusa — About 9 p.m. at Levee Park on Main Street. Sponsored by the Colusa Firefighters Association.

• Oroville Dam — 9:45 p.m. above Lake Oroville. Starting at 6 p.m.; buses will run every quarter-hour in a loop from city parking lots in downtown Oroville to the event site.

For more information, contact the Oroville Chamber of Commerce at 800-655-4653.

• Grass Valley — 9:30 p.m. at the Nevada County Fairgrounds. Gates open at 3 p.m., with entertainment starting at 4 p.m. Admission is $8 for adults and free for children 12 years and under; parking is $3.

Activities in Grass Valley start at 11 a.m. with a parade through the center of downtown. For more information, call 273-4667.

• Sacramento — 9:30 p.m. at Cal Expo. The fireworks display is free, but parking is $8. A limited number of reserved tickets, $10 each, are available online at www.bigfun.org or at the Cal Expo box office.

The Cal Expo East Gate opens at 5:30 p.m.