Big weekend! Most of us have a three-day weekend too, with Monday off since the Fourth falls on Sunday. Plenty of stuff going on to choose from:

Friday

• The Farmers Market runs from 2 until 6pm, in the St. Charles Hospital parking lot.
• It is of course First Friday, with the Art Walk happening Downtown, in the Old Mill District, and Northwest Crossing. This runs from 5 until 9pm, and there’s a big list of participants here.
• Deschutes Brewery is joining the First Friday fun with an outdoor BBQ and special beers on tap, along with live music and a photo exhibit.
• Tim Coffey is playing live at Volcano Vineyards downtown, from 6 to 9pm, for free (though you should definitely buy a glass of wine or two).
• Over at Silver Moon Brewing, both Sleep Waves and The Sofa Kings are playing, starting at 9pm. Cover is only $5, so it’s like you’re getting two shows for a great low price.

Saturday

• The Central Oregon Saturday Market is at their usual location across from the Bend Public Library, open from 10 until 4.
• Breedlove Guitars is hosting their Breedlove Festival starting at noon at their Northwest Crossing headquarters: lots of great live music including Grammy-award winning Ed Gerhard, company tours, a talent competition, food and Deschutes Brewery beer. $10 at the door, but kids 10 and under get in free.
• Riverside Market is having their Grand Re-Opening BBQ from 2 until 10pm: free live music and hot dogs and a beer garden provided by Boneyard Beer.
• Silver Moon has Lisa C. Pollock and the Indie Freedom Tour for an 8pm show: “LA rock songstress with Bend roots Lisa C. Pollock returns to town with a crew of other fabulous musicians for a night of rockin’ goodness on Independence Day eve.” Cover is $8.

Sunday – Independence Day!

• The Pet Parade kicks off at 10am, one of the downtown events of the year: the community parade open to everyone to bring their pets (no rabbits or cats, however) to walk the streets of downtown. Mostly dogs (it’s a dog town, after all), but there will also be horses, llamas, chickens, ducks, goats, and more.
• The Library has their Friends of the Bend Library Book Sale from 10am to 4pm down at the Library Administration Building. Great deals on books of all kinds.
• Bend’s Old Fashioned 4th of July Celebration picks up right after the Pet Parade, from 11 until 4, down in Drake Park: craft and food booths, live entertainment, old fashioned summertime games (three-legged races, watermelon eating contests), and more.
• It’s also Free Summer Sundays down at the Les Schwab Amphitheater: the Staxx Brothers are playing from 2:30 until 4:30 (gates open at 1).
• Newport Avenue Market has their free beer tasting from 3:30 until 6.
• Finally, don’t forget about the free fireworks show starting at 10pm from the top of Pilot Butte—you’ll want to find a good vantage point of the fireworks and the Butte (if you’re into watching for the almost-inevitable fires), and tune your radio to any of several different stations owned by the Bend Radio Group for patriotic musical accompaniment. If you’d rather stay indoors (it can get cold on the 4th), KOHD will be broadcasting the fireworks show live at the same time.