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By Jane Knoerle
A weekend of parades, carnivals, a street fair, and the NorCal Junior Rodeo await local Fourth of July celebrants.
All the events listed below will be held on Saturday, July 4, unless otherwise noted.
Menlo Park parade, festival
The city of Menlo Park will sponsor a community parade and festival on Saturday, with food, music and activities for all ages.
Kids and their families are invited to dress in red, white and blue and bring decorated tricycles and bikes, wagons, pets and floats to join the July Fourth parade, which begins at 11:45 a.m.
Participants should assemble ahead of time in the Wells Fargo parking lot, corner of Santa Cruz Avenue and Chestnut Street.
The parade will make its way down Santa Cruz Avenue, across El Camino Real, and end at Burgess Park.
At the park there will be carnival games, inflatables, rock climbing, crafts and face painting. Johnny Vegas and the High Rollers will play music from noon to 2:30 p.m.
Wrist bands, required for games and activities, will be sold for $6 each. Food and drink will be sold separately.
For more information, go to www.menlopark.org.
Junior Rodeo in Woodside
The 59th annual NorCal Junior Rodeo, sponsored by the Mounted Patrol of San Mateo County, will be held Saturday, July 4, at the Mounted Patrol grounds at 521 Kings Mountain Road in Woodside.
Gates open at 8 a.m. The full day of events will include cowboys and cowgirls, ages 6 to 18, taking part in bull riding, steer and calf riding, barrel racing and team roping. The Rodeo Queen and her court of princesses will be in attendance. The main events start at noon with Presentation of the Colors by the Mounted Patrol Color Guard.
Family entertainment will include an afternoon pig scramble and a petting zoo, which will be open all day.
Admission is $15 for adults, $7 for ages 6-17, and free for kids 5 and under.
The Mounted Patrol will also hold a dinner-dance at the Mounted Patrol grounds on Friday, July 3, starting at 6 p.m. No reservations are needed for the barbecue dinner. For more information, call 851-8300.
Redwood City parade and festival
“All Things Musical” is the theme for the 71st Redwood City Independence Day parade, which starts at 10 a.m. at the corner of Brewster and Winslow streets.
The parade will feature decorated floats, local performing groups, college bands, horses, and military groups.
The Peninsula Celebration Association is also sponsoring an arts and crafts festival along Middlefield Road from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be more than 60 crafts vendors and food and beverage booths.
The ninth annual Battle of the Bands, starting at 1:30 p.m., will be held in the San Mateo Credit Union parking lot, with the U.C. Davis Marching Band and the Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band competing.
The Marshall Law band will play on the entertainment stage from 2 to 5 p.m.
The day will end with the annual fireworks show, launched from the water at the Port of Redwood City. The fireworks are expected to begin at approximately 9:30 p.m. For more information, go to www.parade.org.
Kiwanis carnival
The Woodside Terrace A.M. Kiwanis Club of Redwood City will hold its annual carnival Saturday and Sunday, July 4 and 5, in the county government center parking lot, corner of Veterans Boulevard and Middlefield Road in Redwood City.
The Kiwanis Web site says the carnival features family-oriented rides, with seats wide enough for a parent and child to sit together. The carnival starts right after the Redwood City parade and continues until 10 p.m. It will be open from noon to 10 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, call 592-3250.
Little House barbecue
Little House, at 800 Middle Ave. in Menlo Park, invites you to put on your Western finery and join them for a barbecue from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 1.
Cowgirl Chryle Bacon will entertain. Cost is $10 per person. For details, call 326-2025.
Ragtime piano music
Nan Bostick of Menlo Park will perform two, four, and six-handed ragtime music with fellow musicians Chris and Jack Bradshaw at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at the First Baptist Church of Menlo Park, 1100 Middle Ave. at Arbor Road.
The trio will be accompanied by percussionist Pete Devine and Robyn Drivon on tuba. Offerings will benefit the U.S.O.
Following the concert, there will be a church barbecue at 5:30 with Pastor Rick Line as head chef. Cost is $5 per person
For more information, call Carol Maslin at 323-8544.
No Stanford concert
There will be no pre-Independence Day concert at Stanford University’s Frost Amphitheatre this year because of ongoing construction around the amphitheatre, making it unsafe to launch fireworks. The event usually includes a jazz festival sponsored by Lively Arts, as well as a fireworks display.