As is the local custom, the village of Riverside will kick off the Fourth of July festivities on Tuesday, July 3 with the annual Concert in the Park, starting at 6 p.m. at Guthrie Park, located at Riverside and Bloomingbank roads.

Village Clerk Arlene Blaha will open the evening with the singing of the National Anthem during a flag-raising ceremony. That will be followed by the swinging big brass sounds of the Brent Kimbrough Band from 6:15 to 8 p.m.

As dusk arrives around 8:15 p.m., the water tower will be lit up. And from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m., Riverside’s own Butter Side Down will round out the concert.

As July 4 dawns on Wednesday, runners will gather at the water tower for the 34th Annual Riverside Parks and Recreation Independence Day 5K Run, which will wind its way up Longcommon Road to Selborne, Parkway and Northgate before heading back down to the water tower via Northwood and Akenside roads.

At 8:45 a.m. the Riverside Fourth of July parade steps off from Delaplaine Road and heads south on Longcommon Road to Riverside Road. Stick around after the parade for a picnic in Guthrie Park, featuring Mike Aieta and his band.

Brookfield

If you haven’t had your fill of parades after Riverside’s you’ll still have time to dash off to Brookfield, which hosts one of the largest parades in the area. The parade starts at 10 a.m., and will follow a different route this year due to road construction.

The parade will start at Cleveland and Washington avenues and head east on Washington to Veterans Circle at Eight Corners. From there, the parade will resume its traditional route, southeast down Grand Boulevard to Brookfield Avenue and then east to Kiwanis Park.

Following the parade, all are invited to Kiwanis Park for an afternoon of festivities. The Brookfield Jaycees will be selling, food, beer and soft drinks, while the Kiwanis Club will be selling pop, water and peanuts. Ice cream will also be for sale.

The entertainment starts with The Neverly Brothers at 12:30 p.m. Rock ‘n’ roll cover band Midnight will follow from 2:45 to 4:30 p.m. After that, the top two bands at this year’s Brookfield Battle of the Bands in May, will perform. Tomorrow’s Alliance will take the bandstand at 5 p.m., followed by The Capitol at 5:30 p.m.

North Riverside

For the first time since 2008, North Riverside will hold a Fourth of July celebration. But the village is getting back into the swing slowly, so don’t expect fireworks or a big evening soiree.

Instead, North Riverside will celebrate The Fourth by putting the spotlight on its Little League program. Teams will gather at 23rd Street and 14th Avenue, where a parade will step off at 10 a.m. and follow the traditional route for parades in the village – east down 23rd Street to 9th Avenue, then south on 9th Avenue to 24th Street, east on 24th Street to 2nd Avenue, south on 2nd Avenue to 26th Street, and the east down 26th Street all the way to Veterans Park.

At Veterans Park there will be a flag-raising ceremony at 11 a.m., followed at 11:30 a.m. by non-stop Little League games, including a T-Ball classic, food, and old-fashioned family games.

The celebration at Veterans Park will last until 2 p.m.