Happy July! We’ve got an eventful week ahead of us, with one of my favorite Bend holidays this weekend as well as First Friday and more. Not to mention as of today, the first, recreational marijuana is legal in Oregon, and the new westside zipcode of 97703 goes into effect.

Of course First Friday Art Walk starts at 5pm that evening in downtown Bend, with businesses open late showcasing a variety of art and many offering refreshments (food, wine, beer) as well. Not to mention live music! It’s going to be another scorcher, forecast for 95 degrees, so if you head downtown to walk around stay hydrated.

If you don’t make it downtown, try east—Whole Foods Market is holding their 4th annual Whole Foods Brewfest from 4 to 8pm, proceeds of which benefit the Humane Society of Central Oregon. They’ll have over 20 breweries and live music with Bobby Lindstrom, all for $5 entry (which includes 2 samples, with additional sample tokens $1 each).

And Worthy Brewing is holding an “Independence PreFunk Party” with no-cover live music and $3 pints of their firkin (cask) of PreFunk Pale Ale starting at 5pm.

Saturday is the big day, and there’s plenty to do! Here’s my recommended itinerary (all free or nearly so):

• Start with the Bend Pet Parade at 10am downtown, a tradition going back to the 1930s open to all and their pets (mostly dogs, and they discourage cats, rabbits, and aggressive dogs). Yes, it’s hot this year and even though it’s not in the full heat of the day at 10am, if you have concerns about your pet in the heat, then go ahead and keep them at home where they can stay cool.
• After the Parade check out the Old Fashioned 4th of July Festival in Drake Park running from 11 to 4. There are craft vendors you can purchase from if so inclined, food booths, and of course old fashioned games (including free ones). There will also be music and entertainment on the stage, and more.
• The quarterly Library book sale takes place from 11 to 4 at the Library Administration Building on Wall Street—in the basement, so it will be hot. I always highlight this because the books are cheap and you can never have too many books!
• The Deschutes Historical Museum is holding their annual 4th of July free day from 10 to 4, offering free admission to the Museum and ice cream cups. I can’t recommend a visit to the Museum highly enough to anyone interested in Bend’s history.
• The Pilot Butte fireworks show starts at 10pm, and can be seen (for free) from anywhere you can see Pilot Butte. There’s usually jokes about when they will set the Butte on fire but this year, as hot and dry as it is let’s hope they don’t!

Beyond those events there are many other fun things going on around town. Worthy Brewing is holding a “Red, White and BREWS” party from 5 to 11, with no-cover live music, beer (of course), and the chance to watch the Pilot Butte fireworks from their biergarten. Over at Deschutes Brewery, they likewise have their 4th of July celebration running from 6 to 10:30, with live music, local artist Karen Eland (she paints with beer!), sparklers and swag, and of course a great view of Pilot Butte as well.

On Sunday, the Les Schwab Amphitheater has their Free Summer Sundays Concert starting at 2:30 and featuring Cloverdayle. And then Monday, July 6, is a big one: Sheryl Crow! That one starts at 6:30 (doors open at 5pm) and looks like there still might be some tickets available.

And then next week we’ll see the weekly Munch and Music and Alive After Five free concerts start up!

It’s going to be a busy, busy week and I’ve only scratched the surface of things going on. Keep an eye on the event calendar, and also check out Visit Bend’s calendar and the Source Weekly’s calendar, both detailed sources of all things happening in the region.