Russ McCutcheon

We thought it might never come, but summer is here at last. Swimming, camping, visiting grandparents, and playing with friends are all great things to do, but don’t forget reading! Here are some stories celebrating sun, fun, and family time together.

#13;

In It’s Vacation Time by Lerryn Korda, a group of animal friends try to help Nella figure out why she can’t get her suitcase closed.  Her suitcase turns out to be filled not with clothing or toothpaste but with a shovel, a pail, a snorkel mask, and all sorts of things she thought they might need. In this cheery picture book for toddlers, bold colors stand out against a clean white background, and the story comes to a satisfying conclusion. Don’t be surprised if your child wants to start packing and unpacking, too.

#13;

 In Hooray for Summer by Kazuo Iwamura, translated from the Japanese, three little squirrels are playing on a hot summer day when they get caught out in a thunderstorm. Though very scared by the ferocious storm, Mick, Mack and Molly take cover in a cave and make some new friends sheltering there too. Iwamura’s watercolors use color very effectively to show the ominous clouds moving in, and the sparkling, rain-washed forest after the storm. The pictures feature delicately detailed forest plants as well as cute squirrels, mice, and rabbits, and the story makes a great way to talk about feeling scared but things turning out okay in the end.

#13;

For children that like to learn facts, The Longest Day by Wendy Pfeffer tells all about the summer solstice. It explains the science of seasons and tells about ways different cultures and peoples through time have celebrated. It covers the familiar (Stonehenge) but also several much less well-known solstice celebrations, such as the Chumash Indians placing a crystal in a cave to catch the solstice rays. This picture book includes several activities and a list of books and websites for more information.

#13;

Artist Marla Frazee captures two completely different sides of summer in a pair of picture books. The hilarious A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever follows two little boys, Eamon and James, on a visit to Eamon’s grandparents. The pictures are beautiful, but the laugh-out-loud part comes in with the contrast between what the text says (“They decided to stay home and enjoy Bill and Pam’s company”) and what the picture shows, as the pair goes rushing out of the room in a cloud of dust. The two boys dont always go along with the grown-ups plans, but in the end they come up with a wonderful surprise that showed they were paying attention after all.

#13;

All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon also features Frazee’s gorgeous pictures, and the large page size gives them plenty of room to expand, but the text here celebrates the specific joys of summer: “Hive, bee, wings, hum / Husk, cob, corn, yum! / Tomato blossom, fruit so red / All the world’s a garden bed”. Children will love poring over these pictures to find and follow the different members of this extended family as they go to the beach, climb trees, and spend a lyrically lovely day together.

#13;

Kids and summer and reading make a perfect fit. Sign-up for the annual Niles Public Library Summer Reading Club. Cuddle up with your child and some good books, and then come take a turn on our fun game!

Teaching’s getting tougher and fifth grade will be changing

Written by Macklin Reid, Press Staff

Saturday, 25 June 2011 05:56

Higher standards, more mandates, tougher tests, research-based instruction — school is getting harder. It affects teachers as well as students.

“The standards have gotten so dense and the expectations on the classroom teacher so demanding,” Assistant Superintendent Pat Michael told the school board.

To better handle the increasing academic load, Ridgefield’s schools will make the last year of elementary school more like middle and high school, with fifth grade teachers specialized by content area: a math teacher, a science teacher, a social studies teacher, functioning as a team.

“We’ve researched a process in which teachers become an expert in one or possibly two disciplines,” Ms. Michael said.

That fifth grade teacher would then teach the content area they’ve specialized in to all three fifth grade classes at a school. If there are four fifth grade classes, the school could be divided into two- or four-member teams.

There will be no specific English specialists, as all classroom teachers will be expected to be fluent in teaching the language arts of reading and writing, with literacy the paramount skill students need to master.

“We want all elementary teachers to be literacy teachers,” Ms. Michael told the board.

Non-fiction reading and writing assignments will be worked into all content areas.

A “departmentalized” fifth grade has been tried the last two years at Scotland School. Next fall, at the start of the 2011-12 school year, Branchville and Veterans Park will use the new approach. Ridgebury, Farmingville and Barlow Mountain will adopt the plan in 2012-13.

It’s a big change and there are concerns, which is one reason it’s being phased in over two years.

“Some of the debate is: ‘We don’t want to make elementary school look like middle school,’ ” Superintendent Deborah Low told the board.

The plan to “departmentalize” fifth grade was put together by a committee that included all six elementary principals and headed by Ms. Michael, who oversees curriculum and instruction throughout the school system.

The reason for the change was explained in a memorandum to the board:

“Over the past few years, Connecticut’s public education system as experienced a number of changes that have created exceptional logistical and curricular challenges for the fifth grade classroom teacher,” she wrote.

“The increases in the number of legislated mandates, as well as increased complexity of curriculum standards and state testing, has complicated the teacher’s job.”

While the state requirements were raised in many areas, among the most challenging for teachers is the new emphasis on research-based instruction.

“The state Department of Education’s 2008 initiative, Scientific Research-Based Instruction (SRBI), called upon teachers to spend a significant amount of their time generating and analyzing data about students performance, and preparing lesson plans based on that analysis,” Ms. Michael wrote.

“For both reading and mathematics, teachers are expected to implement the ‘practice of providing scientific, research-based instruction and intervention matched to students’ needs, with important educational decisions based on students’ levels of performance and learning rates over time.’

“When applied to each academic discipline, this system of ‘evidence-based instruction, early intervention, ongoing monitoring of students progress and data-driven decision making’ constitutes exemplary and do-able practice,” Ms. Michael wrote.

“When applied to multiple disciplines of dense content, all taught by a single classroom teacher, the system becomes complex and challenging to manage.”

She provided some of “outlined requirements” in the state’s “SRBI guidelines”:

“Benchmark assessments: District must either purchase or develop a set of standardized benchmark assessments to be administered to all students three times per year. The results of these benchmark assessments establish a trend line of the expected performance for students within the assessed discipline. Each student’s progress is then compared with the expected performance established by the trend line. Students whose progress rate is lower than expected are provided additional support and are monitored frequently.

“Formative assessments: Progress monitoring involves frequent assessment, which means that the district must provide a set of assessment tools for teachers to administer with fidelity and consistency.

“These are used to determine if the rate of a student’s improvement is sufficient to enable the student to ‘catch up’ to his/her peers. If it is, then the interventions continue as planned until the student no longer needs the support.

“If the student’s rate of improvement is not sufficient, then the teacher needs to redesign the support…”

Ms. Michael said the state’s research-based approach represented “effective, efficient teaching” and is used throughout Ridgefield’s schools.

“The complexity of this system arises when the identified interventions are provided within the content area disciplines,” Ms. Michael said.

“Reading permeates every discipline, and applied mathematics is embedded in both social studies and science (statistics, probability, charts, graphs, etc.),” Ms. Michael wrote.

“When a student is found to be challenged in either/both subject areas, the set of interventions defined for the student must be provided within all relevant disciplines.

“Teachers must plan a standards-based lesson for the whole class that includes differentiated instruction for sub-groups and, at the same time, plan individualized, specific reading and/or mathematics interventions for individualized students within each core academic subject…”

On top of the research-based instruction, the state has issued new “common core state standards” for English and language arts, and toughened the “curricular frameworks for science and social studies” — especially for fifth grade.

“The total number and complexity of the fifth grade standards represent a substantial increase over the requirements for prior grades,” Ms. Michael said.

“From a district perspective, this increased complexity creates a challenge to our resources,” she said. “Teachers’ attention is widely distributed among many learning goals, thus diluting their ability to cultivate much-needed expertise.

“A departmentalized arrangement allows the fifth grade teachers to focus attention on language arts and one or two other disciplines.”

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., June 23, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The humanities and social sciences are crucial to the global competitiveness of the United States, according to a group of prominent business, government, and academic leaders, artists, and scholars.

There is national consensus that for the nation to remain competitive, we need to strengthen our grasp of science, technology, engineering, and math, said Richard Brodhead, President of Duke University and Co-chair of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences national Commission on the Humanities and Social Sciences. But education isnt an either/or affair. Business leaders all recognize the need for communications skills and cross-cultural understanding. Our everyday life as citizens requires a sense of history, of personal values and the social good. A strong infrastructure for the humanities and social sciences supported through our schools, libraries, museums, and other cultural institutions is critical to our nations health and the quality of our personal and communal life.

The American Academy Commission met in Chicago June 10-11 to explore ways to bolster teaching, research, and scholarship in all disciplines. The Academy organized the blue-ribbon commission at the request of a bipartisan group of members of Congress. It will meet several times over the next year before releasing a final set of recommendations.

Commission Co-chair John W. Rowe, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Exelon Corporation, noted that the physical and natural sciences are inextricably linked with the humanities and social sciences. Excellence in one cannot be achieved without excellence and broad-based support for the other.

Commission member Jim McNerney, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of The Boeing Company, sees a foundation in the liberal artsencompassing the humanities as well as the social and physical sciencesas an important ingredient for becoming an effective leader. Leadership is about the social and interpersonal skills that these disciplines teach, McNerney said. The breadth of the education experience is a primary source of leadership.

At the groups first full meeting, participants discussed the role of the humanities and social sciences in promoting a civil society and a creative, flexible workforce. The commission will formulate recommendations for how government officials, educators, business leaders, and philanthropists can strengthen the fields. A primary goal of the Commission, Rowe said, will be to find new ways to state our case and identify new advocates to help us make it.

Film producer, screenwriter, and director George Lucas is one such advocate. The sciences teach us how.The humanities teach us why, said Lucas, a member of the Commission. You cant continue to do the how without the why.If we ignore history, philosophy, and all of the other attempts to deal with the why, the how can become very dangerous.

As President of the American Academy, Leslie Cohen Berlowitz has overseen its longstanding focus on the humanities and helped to organize the Commission. We have convened a remarkably distinguished and diverse group of Americans who care deeply about the future of the country, Berlowitz said. The Academy is pleased to sponsor this initiative and we are confident that the Commission will help humanists and social scientists find new and better ways of describing their work to the public.

A complete list of Commission members can be found here.

Founded in 1780, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (www.amacad.org) is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. Current Academy research focuses on science and technology policy; global security; social policy; the humanities and culture; and education. With headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the Academys work is advanced by its 4,300 elected members, who are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business and public affairs from around the world.

SOURCE American Academy of Arts amp; Sciences

Back to top

RELATED LINKS

http://www.amacad.org

As city libraries collect signatures to petition for a vote on a special library tax, suburban libraries are talking about consolidating and getting money from Allegheny County.

Were pretty much putting everything on the table, said Marilyn Jenkins, executive director of the Allegheny County Library Association. Certainly, sustainable funding at the county level is one of the topics of conversation well have over the next year or so.

The association represents 45 systems in the county with 73 locations, including those of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. Weighing the pros and cons of consolidating and developing a dedicated funding source are twin goals in the associations strategic plan, which extends through 2013.

The financially troubled Carnegie Library has collected more than 3,000 signatures, though it needs only 2,800, to get a referendum on a dedicated city tax to support the system on the November ballot. Carnegie Library spokeswoman Suzanne Thinnes said the system would like to collect 10,000 signatures by the July 15 deadline.

Merger talks are taking place as libraries throughout Pennsylvania are bombarded by changes such as digital readers and state budget cuts. Over the past three years, the state has slashed its basic aid to libraries by $22.2 million, or 29.4 percent.

Whenever theres a constraint of funds, its an opportunity to rethink how youre doing business, Jenkins said.

Among the options is a wholesale merger of the city and county systems; separate city and county systems but a consolidation of administrative services; and a hybrid in which some libraries would share services.

Jenkins said this hybrid approach is likely to get support.

We would want to look at a kind of model that would not only benefit communities that are struggling but also those that have a long history of support for their libraries, she said.

Christy Fusco, director of the Monroeville Public Library, likes the idea. I support us taking advantage of opportunities to streamline our business model, she said.

Maria Joseph, director of the Moon Township Public Library, favors consolidating various libraries. Theres a lot of money going out to individual libraries that probably could be used more efficiently if there werent as many locations, she said.

Joseph said the Moon library outgrew its space and lacks staff to offer more programs.

Helen Palascak, director of the Upper St. Clair Township Library, and Sharon McRae, director of the Shaler North Hills Library, declined comment on the merits of consolidation.

I understand why it would be on the table now, more than ever before, because of limited resources and the changing patterns of how people use libraries, McRae said.

Said Palascak: If were going to be a consolidated system, a consolidated funding stream would have to support that.

Among roadblocks to a merger are the autonomy of municipalities and how to deal with library buildings. In Upper St. Clair and Shaler, for example, the municipalities own the buildings housing the libraries.

Allegheny County gives the library association $30,000 a year but does not fund individual libraries. The Allegheny Regional Asset District supports libraries, parks, stadiums and cultural groups with half of the money collected from an extra 1 percent sales tax in the county.

That makes RAD a key player in future merger talks.

We accepted their long-range plan and applauded them for examining that, but we dont have a position on whether its meritorious or not, said RAD Executive Director David Donahue.

Megan Dardanell, spokeswoman for County Executive Dan Onorato, said he has not talked with the library group about dedicated funding and has not taken a position on it.

Jenkins said her group with meet soon with some foundation officials, whom she declined to identify, to seek their help with consolidation talks.

Our goal is to ask what the overall community needs are, and then determine how libraries can help collectively in meeting those needs, she said.

The high cut-offs could make students select new but promising disciplines they wouldnt have considered before.

The word ‘cut-off invokes a feeling of dissatisfaction in Mumbai, among both the students and the principals. The reasons are different though. The students feel that however hard they work, they just dont seem to make it to their dream college. The principals raise systemic issues and feel that that the marking system itself is chaotic and imbalanced, which makes a mockery of good evaluation.

The cut-offs are on the rise. Getting more than 80 per cent in disciplines like arts and commerce is just not enough. The competition is getting tougher by the day. But the most depressing thing is that there are a lot of reserved seats. There is 45 per cent reservation for Christians in St. Xaviers college. Their cut-offs are half the cut-offs for us. There should be merit-wise admission, Vasundhara Rajeshirke, a Class XII student said. She wasnt the only one. Many students rued the reservation of seats, feeling it deprived them of seats which they would have got on the basis of merit. Nikita Mondkar, another student who recently passed Class XII said, It has become very competitive. That is also because the reserved category gets too much preference.

The principals raised systemic issues. Father Frazer Mascarenhas, principal of St. Xaviers College, one of the most sought-after colleges for traditional courses in humanities, social sciences and basic sciences, said, The whole system of education in India has gone wrong from Class X onwards. The courses between Class 10 and 12 reward rote learning. There is no focus on concepts. The question papers are set in such a manner that fetching 100 per cent marks is possible.

Father Mascarenhas says the real problem is that question papers are not set to test creativity. The level of difficulty of papers should be such that the result should reflect normal distribution curve, he said.

For most of the traditional undergraduate courses, seats are reserved for in-house students who pass their Class XII from the same college. But the competition intensifies for admission to Class XI, where students vie for the best of colleges. High cut-offs hit the most at that level.

Allure of new disciplines

But there is growing trend of students opting for new disciplines, which have more demand in the professional industry. Many students prefer integrated courses or applied disciplines like biotechnology, mass media, etc. There is no reservation for in-house students for such courses and the competition is very high, Professor Devayani Ganpule, Vice-Principal (Senior College), Ramnarayan Ruia College of Arts and Science said.

Various educationists rued that the demand for pure science courses had plunged considerably. Thus, the cut-off for B.Sc. courses can be as low as 50 per cent. There is total misconception among students that professional courses give better opportunities. If you see the syllabus, the basic concepts are the same and they are taught much better in a B.Sc. course. More often than not, a B.Sc. Chemistry student gets a job more quickly than a B.Sc. Biotechnology student. Then they feel disappointed and disillusioned, Vatsala Pai, former Vice Principal of Ramnarayan Ruia College said.

Printer friendly
page

Send this article to Friends by

E-Mail

Magazine

Todays happenings at the Michigan Challenge Balloonfest

The closing day of the Michigan Challenge Balloonfest lifts off with a balloon fly-in from 6-8 am today. Events take place at Howell High School, 1200 W. Grand River Ave.

The Landing Zone childrens area is open at 9 am, the arts festival opens at 10 am and the Wade Shows carnival opens at 11 am

Americas Best Frisbee Dogs will perform at 4 pm The Citizens Insurance Family Fun Tent opens at noon.

The Renewal by Andersen Skydivers perform at noon, 2 pm and 5 pm The Windjammers Stunt Kite Team performs at 1 pm

Other live entertainment includes a mass balloon launch from 6-8 pm

Parking passes at Howell High School are $12.

Also today, the Howell Sunday Farmers Market runs from 9 am to 2 pm in downtown Howell.

Travel in 3s highlights close-to-home-events, new attractions and special deals. To offer suggestions, e-mail travel@plaind.com or call 216-999-4240.

FOURTH OF JULY FUN

According to AAA, 39 million Americans will be traveling over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. If youd like to join them, but dont have a destination in mind, consider Columbus, which has a long list of events planned to celebrate the holiday. Among them:

1. Red, White and Boom! a daylong festival downtown culminating in fireworks, gets the weekend started on Friday. Daytime activities include a parade, midway, kids activities and entertainment on five stages. Fireworks launch at 10 pm Activities take place throughout downtown. For a map and more info: redwhiteandboom.org.

2. Also on Friday, the Ohio Historical Society opens four new exhibits at its Columbus museum, the Ohio History Center. Among them: The American Soldier: A Photographic Tribute From the Civil War to Iraq, and Over Here, Over There: Ohioans in Times of War. On July 4, the center also hosts its annual old-fashioned Fourth of July celebration, featuring a grand parade, pie-eating contest, vintage baseball and more. For prices and more: ohsweb.ohiohistory.org or 1-800-686-6124.

3. For a more irreverent celebration, travel to Columbus Short North neighborhood on July 4 for the 28th annual Doo Dah Parade, which bills itself as the craziest parade in history. Among the (few) rules: no commercial floats, and all politicians must wear a funny hat. The fun gets started at 1 pm on Buttles Avenue. For the parade route and more: doodahparade.com or 614-228-1868.

SPECIAL DEALS AND PACKAGES

1. Maumee Bay State Park near Toledo is offering an Adventure Jet Package, with two nights of lodging, a $25 restaurant coupon and 30-minute rental of a Waverunner jet ski. The package price starts at $420. For information: maumeebaystateparklodge.com.

2. The historic New Yorker Hotel is offering a Fourth of July Fireworks and BBQ Package, with rates from $399 a night. The package includes overnight accommodations, entry to a special Fourth of July Suite on the hotels 38th floor to enjoy the fireworks and a barbecue dinner. For information: newyorkerhotel.com or 1-800-764-4680.

3. As a thank-you to the nations educators, the Affinia Chicago is offering a 10 percent discount to teachers on Sunday through Thursday stays through early September. Discounted rates start at $162 per night. For information: affinia.com/teachers or 1-866-246-2203.

EVENTS NOT TO MISS CLOSE TO HOME

1. Get a head start on Independence Day celebrations by helping our friends north of the border mark Canada Day on Friday. No passport is required, as the festivities will be at the Perrys Victory and International Peace Memorial at Put-in Bay on South Bass Island. The event, from noon-4:30 pm, will include history and other programs, childrens crafts and, of course, birthday cake. Information: nps.gov/pevi or 419-285-2184, ext. 227.

2. The Ohio Art on the River show featuring works by about 50 artists will take place Friday and Saturday at the Canal Fulton Glassworks, where youll also be able to see glass-blowing demonstrations that result in beautiful works of art. Hours are 3-9 pm Friday and 11 am-9 pm Saturday at 215 Market St. W. Go to canalfultonglassworks.com or call 330-854-2966. The show is part of the Olde Canal Days Festival, which runs Thursday through Sunday, July 3, and includes rides, entertainment and a parade. Details: discovercanalfulton.com

3. Even if you dont have a green thumb, you can enjoy the National Garden Festival, which runs through Sunday, July 31, in Buffalo. It includes 14 garden walks and tours totaling nearly 1,000 gardens, workshops with nationally recognized gardening experts, concerts, gallery exhibits, farmers markets and other activities and events. Activities take place at many venues in the Buffalo/Niagara area. For a schedule and charges, go to nationalgardenfestival.com. Information is also available by calling 1-800-283-3256.

MANILA, Philippines – Three warships from the United States Navy (USN) are dropping anchor in the island province of Palawan on Tuesday for this years launching of the joint Philippines-US Naval war exercises aimed at further developing maritime security capabilities of the two nations naval forces.

Aside from two missile-guided destroyers USS Chung-Hoon (DDG-93) and USS Howard (DDG-83) and a diving and salvage ship USNS Safegurd (T-ARS 50), 800 US sailors are also participating in the 17th joint holding of the Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT), a naval war games that would be held within the maritime domain of the Philippine Navys Naval Forces West.

These US sailors as well as their other military assets that will be participating in the CARAT with their Filipino Navy counterparts, are composed of US Navy Seabees, representatives from the US Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST), the US Navy Mobile Security Squadron, a US Navy Riverine Force and Medical Support personnel.

CARAT would be held in the nearby waters of the West Philippine Sea where tension has been mounting for weeks now due to Chinas aggressiveness in asserting its territorial claim over the entire region which the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and Taiwan are also claiming in whole or in part.

This year marks the second time in recent years that CARAT has been held in Palawan. The exercise was held in Puerto Princesa in 2008; in 2009, the exercise was held in Cebu, and in 2010 at Subic Bay, said US Navy Capt. David Welch, commander of Task Force Group 73.1 and the commander for the Phl-US CARAT exercise on the US side.

Ashore training includes Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) exercises; diver training; salvage operations; joint medical, dental and civic action projects, and aircrew familiarization exchanges.

Welch said there will also be symposia on operations planning, search and rescue practices, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions, interagency cooperation and public affairs.

The at-sea phase of CARAT focuses on developing maritime security capabilities in areas such as maritime interdiction, information sharing, combined operations at sea, patrol operations and gunnery exercises, to include the anti-piracy and anti-smuggling exercises.

The Pennsylvania Department of State announced Thursday that it had taken disciplinary actions against 87 licensed or commissioned professionals or organizations. Nearly half of those actions were against nurses for a variety of reasons including drug and alcohol addiction, stealing from employers, immoral or unprofessional conduct and in one case because the State Board of Nursing has reason to believe he is an immediate and clear danger to the public. A comprehensive list of sanctions is available online at www.dos.state.pa.us. Complaints are accepted online or through the bureaus hotline at 1-800-822-2113.

Pack up your picnic baskets, lawn chairs and American pride and head to Fourth of July events all around the county. Its that time of year when a sea of red, white and blue take over San Diego. If youre looking for an all day extravaganza or a firework show at night, weve got a citywide guide to help you plan your patriotic day.

Big Bay Boom Fireworks Show

The 11th annual awe-inspiring fireworks show starts at 9 pm Fireworks will launch into the air around the San Diegos beautiful bay off Shelter Island, Harbor Island, North Embarcadero, Seaport Village and Chula Vista. The choreographed and musical display will last about 17 minutes and more than 850,000 are expected to come.

La Jolla Cove Concert and Fireworks

The beach community of La Jolla is celebrating with a concert at 5 pm followed by a fireworks show at 9 pm La Jolla Cove fireworks group wants to bring the people together to promote patriotism and tradition through the fireworks show. Donations are encouraged and the best viewing spots are La Jolla shores, Scripps Park and La Jolla Cove.

Old Towns Historic Style Celebration

Come see where it all began and celebrate at Old Town San Diego State Historic park from 11 am to 4 pm This 1800s July Fourth is free with a cake walk, pie eating contests, sack races and a flag raising ceremony.

Annual Lake Murray Fireworks

A Dazzling firework show will blast into the night sky and over Lake Murray. The show will start at 9:15 pm at the Lake Murray Community Park, 7001 Murray Park Drive, San Diego.

Mira Mesas Many Activities

The Thirty-Seventh Annual Mira Mesa Fourth of July Fun Day starts with a pancake breakfast to be followed by a whole day of carnival games, rides, food vendors and live music. The action-packed day starts at 11 am and goes to 10 pm at Gil Johnson Park. Between food and music, catch the firework display at Mira Mesa High School from 9 to 9:30 pm

San Diego County Fair

This all day event will highlight the day with fireworks, a parade and a concert. The patriotic opening ceremony at the OBrien Gate start at 9:30 am A grand fireworks show will start at 9 pm but the party keeps on going. At 9:30 pm the band REO Speedwagon and the Navy Band Southwest will rock and roll the night away. This show is free with fair admission.

Rancho Bernardo Events

Rancho Bernardo is celebrating early with a free concert by the US Marines Recruit Depot Band on Saturday July 3 at 6:30 pm at Webb Park. On July 4, the community fair is open all day and will feature an RB Idol Contest at 12:30 p.m, an art walk, games and activities for kids. And they didnt forget the adults! Drink vendors will have wine, beer and mixed drinks.

Scripps Ranch Parade and Festival

The 41st annual parade starts at 10 am at Red Cedar Drive andIronwood Road. After the parade enjoy a free icecream social kicking off the festival at 11 am in Hoyt Park. Kids and adults can enjoy their day with inflatable jumpers, clowns, balloons, food and a live DJ until 1 pm

Temeculas Family Fun Day

The City of Temeculas Fourth of July celebration kicks off with a Star-Spangled Parade filled with marching bands, floats and performances. The parade is at 10 am and starts at Old Town Front Street traveling north. At 2 pm the Fourth of July Extravaganza is at Ronald Reagan Sports Park with food, vendors, live music, a fun zone just for kids and of course fireworks to end this exciting day.

Vistas Red, White and Boom Celebration

The City of Vista will hold their annual celebration at Brengle Terrace Park, 1200 Vale Terrace Drive starting at 7 am Activities are happening all day where guests can enjoy food, beverages, live musical entertainment with fireworks beginning at 9 pm