Countywide : Beaches, Parks and Stadiums to Be Scenes of Fourth of July Entertainments

Hundreds of thousands of Orange County residents are expected to take advantage of predicted fair skies and temperatures in the mid-80s to watch fireworks rising from beaches, parks and school stadiums tonight. Many of the public aerial displays are part of daylong carnivals or fairs. Most shows begin shortly after dusk, and some are free.

Brea: For the seventh year, Brea is holding a Fourth of July Fair at City Hall Park. Although the fair will officially begin at 10 a.m., crowds are expected to form early to get a taste of a 7 a.m. pancake breakfast served by the local Kiwanis Club, Judy Campos, a fair spokeswoman, said. The fair will offer game and food booths, a puppet show, an ice cream-eating contest and a beautiful-baby competition. It will close at 4 p.m. In the evening, a 7 o’clock show will be held at Brea Olinda High School, 800 E. Birch St. A 9 p.m. aerial display will conclude the show. Admission is $4.

Buena Park: Residents can glance to the skies above Knott’s Berry Farm tonight. The Knott’s Incredible Machine will begin spewing out fireworks at 9:45 p.m.

Costa Mesa South Coast Symphony and a children’s group called Celebration will perform at 7:30 p.m. at Orange Coast College’s LeBard Stadium. An aerial display will start after dusk. Admission is $6 for adults and $3 for children. Proceeds will go to the Orange County Child Abuse Council.

Dana Point: Jazz, games and a carnival will begin at 6 p.m. in Heritage Park, west of Coast Highway near the harbor. A free fireworks show will begin after sundown in the park.

Fountain Valley: A fireworks display is covered in the admission price to a fair organized by the local Chamber of Commerce. The five-day fair, which features music, dancing and arts and crafts, will continue through Sunday at Mile Square Park, near the recreation center. Admission is $3 for adults and $1 for children.

Huntington Beach: The 82nd annual Fourth of July parade, featuring about 200 floats, will start down Main Street beginning at 10 a.m. An aerial display will be held at the Huntington Beach High School stadium, 1905 Main St. The gates will open at 6:30 p.m for pre-show entertainment, and the fireworks will begin an hour later. Admission is $5 for adults and $2 for children and seniors.

Irvine: Band music and a performance by Tony Bennett will begin at 6 p.m. in Aldrich Park on the UC Irvine campus, followed by a free aerial display. People are invited to bring a picnic dinner.

Laguna Beach: A free aerial display will begin at nightfall from the north end of Main Beach.

Laguna Niguel: Five- and 10-kilometer races will start from Crown Valley Community Park at 7 a.m. A pancake breakfast will follow the race, and then an all-day carnival will begin. A free fireworks show can be viewed from the park beginning at 9 p.m.

La Palma: Five- and 10-kilometer runs will start at 7:30 a.m. at Central Park, 7821 Walker St. A pancake breakfast, sponsored by the local Kiwanis Club, will be held from 7 to 11 a.m. The Police Department, celebrating its 25th anniversary today, will offer SWAT team and canine demonstrations from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. A free fireworks show at 9 p.m. can be viewed from Central Park.

Mission Viejo: A street fair will begin at 4 p.m. on Olympiad Road. Olympiad will be closed between the entrance to Lake Mission Viejo and Melinda Road to make room for food booths, clowns, ethnic dancing, a magician and music. At 8:45 p.m., a free fireworks show will begin over Lake Mission Viejo. Katherine Faith, a street fair organizer, suggests bringing blankets to sit on during the show.

Newport Beach: Newport Dunes Aquatic Park will be the site of a 9 p.m. aerial display, which should be twice as explosive as last year’s, Fire Marshal Ray Brown says, because the number of shells that will be burst has doubled. Admission is $2 for adults and $1 for children.

Placentia: A show at Placentia High School stadium, 500 N. Bradford Ave, will begin at 5:30 p.m. A fireworks display will begin at 9 p.m. Cost is $2 for adults and $1 for children.

Rancho Capistrano: Fireworks are included in the admission price of an all-day carnival on the Rancho Capistrano Ranch, 29251 Camino Capistrano, off Interstate 5 at the Avery Parkway exit. Events will include a petting zoo, food booths and camel rides. Admission is $3 for adults and $1.50 for children.

San Clemente A free aerial display will begin at the pier just after 9 p.m. A jazz radio station will provide music, and everyone is invited to bring an FM radio to tune in during the show. A crowd of about 50,000 is expected.

Santa Ana: An Independence Day celebration will start at 6 p.m. at Santa Ana Stadium. The band City to City will play, followed by the Moonglows, the Platters, Joe Houston and Ronnie Mack. An aerial display will begin at 9:20 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children.

Tustin: Fireworks will follow a 6:30 p.m. musical show at Tustin High School stadium, 1171 El Camino Real.