Happy Independence Day all! It’s already a beautiful day and with all the things going on it’s definitely one of my favorite Bend holidays. I hope everyone has a safe Fourth this year.

And here’s a last-minute list of activities going on in Bend today. The Pancake Breakfast has already started, but goes until noon.

• Annual Pancake Breakfast: The Bend Sunrise Lions Club puts this on every year in Drake Park. It runs from 8am until noon, and costs $7 for adults and $5 for kids.
• Bend Pet Parade: The streets of downtown Bend close from 10 to 11am, where people of all ages bring their pets to walk in the free parade. Anyone can join, no registration is necessary, you just need to line up at 9:30 at the School Administration building on Wall Street. This is a great event that always sees a huge turnout and everyone has a great time.
• Old Fashioned July 4th Festival: Immediately following the Pet Parade, head down to Drake Park where the Festival is going on from 11 to 4. The park is filled with craft vendor booths, food booths, live entertainment, old fashioned games and contests (three-legged races, etc.).
• Library Summer Book Sale: I know, I go on about this every time but really you can never go wrong with books, and the Library book sale is a great place for deals on all types of books. It runs from 10 until 4.
• Des Chutes Historical Museum Free Day: Right across the street from the Library book sale, the Museum run by the Deschutes Historical Society opens its door to the public for free from 10 until 4. It’s always fascinating to get a glimpse into Bend’s (and Deschutes County’s) history and stepping indoors to do so can also give you a respite from the heat in the middle of the day. Plus, they’ll be giving away free ice cream cups to visitors as well—always a treat.
• Freedom Ride: The seemingly-impromptu Freedom Ride kicks off at 2:30 from Pioneer Park (meet at 2 if you’re participating) and proceeds to parade through downtown Bend to end at Miller’s Landing (across the river from Columbia Park). Deck out your bikes with red, white, and blue, and noisemakers and whatever else catches your fancy. Everyone is welcome who can ride a bike to join.
• 4th of July Beer Fest at Whole Foods: From 3 to 6pm, Whole Foods (on the east side of town) will be having a beer fest featuring local breweries, food, and live music in their east parking lot. Entrance is $5.
• 4th of July BBQ & Blues at Jake’s Diner: “On the Fourth of July, Jake’s holds a BBQ and blues band concert starring father and son team Richard and Ted Taelour. All profits for this event go to Vietnam Veterans of America, an organization dedicated to Vietnam-era veterans and their families. After the band plays, customers can stick around in Jake’s parking lot, which is an awesome position from which to watch the Bend fireworks display off of Pilot Butte.” The BBQ starts at 5:30, and music is from 6 to 8.
• Pilot Butte Fireworks Show: Starting at 10pm, the City of Bend puts on a fireworks show from the top of Pilot Butte that lasts about 20 minutes. Anywhere in town that has a good view of the Butte will have a good view of the show.