In Augusta

Old Fort Western will be open for public tours at 1 p.m. Thursday during the fort’s Independence Day Celebration.

Augusta’s Fourth of July Parade will start at 4 p.m. at the Capitol parking lot and end at Old Fort Western. After the parade, Mayor William Stokes will give a traditional reading of the Declaration of Independence followed by the replacing of the British colors with the “new” American flag. The cannon will then be fired and there will be a 13-gun salute to the original 13 colonies. This ceremony was first performed in 1776 and has been re-enacted at Fort Western for more than 50 years.

Before and after the parade, children and adults can enjoy games and refreshments at the fort until closing at approximately 6 p.m. Again this year, hot dogs will be grilled with all proceeds to benefit Old Fort Western’s educational programming. This hot dog fundraiser starts at 11:30 a.m. and hot dogs, lemonade, soda, chips, Independence Day Cake, ice pops and ice cream will be on the menu. More entertainment will be at The Maine State Housing Authority parking lot in Augusta where there will be music, hay rides, trolley rides and vendors. There will be a fireworks display at the East Side Boat Landing at 9 p.m.

Admission to the fort will be free; food and refreshments will be available for purchase. Donations to benefit Old Fort Western’s educational programming are always welcome. For more information, visit www.oldfortwestern.org, become a fan on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter and Pinterest to stay connected to the fort’s summer events. For questions, call 626-2385 or email oldfort@oldfortwestern. org.

In Belgrade

Public fireworks at the peninsula part of Long Pond is planned for 9:15 p.m. Thursday, with a rain date of Friday.

In Winthrop

The annual Fourth of July fireworks display overlooking Maranacook Lake and Norcross Point will start at dusk (around 9 p.m.) Thursday. The fireworks are sponsored by the Winthrop Area Chamber of Commerce. For details, call 377-8020.