FOURTH OF JULY: PyrotechnicsIt’s not the hot...

FOURTH OF JULY: Pyrotechnics

It’s not the hot dogs or the music or the flag-waving and patriotic speeches. It’s the fireworks that make people go “ooooooh” and “aaaaahhh” every Fourth of July. Here are a few places where you can see some today.

* The Woodland Hills Chamber of Commerce will have its 22nd annual July 4th Family Entertainment and Fireworks Show starting at 5:30 p.m. at Pierce College Stadium, 6201 Winnetka Ave. Touting the “largest fireworks display in the San Fernando Valley,” this show will also include singers, dancers, gymnasts and skydivers, plus games, rides and food. Country-western recording artist Mark Wills will headline the show. Admission is $10 general, $5 seniors and children under 12. Gates open at 1 p.m. Parking is $5. Call (818) 347-4737.

* America’s Best Fireworks Spectacular, sponsored by the Chatsworth, Granada Hills and Northridge chambers of commerce and Cal State Northridge Athletics, begins at 4 p.m. at CSUN’s North Campus, at Devonshire Street and Zelzah Avenue. Besides the “biggest fireworks show in the Valley” and skydivers, this event also features music by the Erik Eckstrand Ensemble and Michael James Rodgers. Games, rides and food will also be available. Admission is $8 general, $5 seniors and children 5-11. Parking is $3. Call (818) 341-7058.

* Burbank will stage its annual July 4th Celebration, featuring music, fireworks and picnicking, at the Starlight Bowl, 1246 Lockheed View Drive. Opening the show at 6:15 p.m. will be the a cappella singing group the Bobs. The Bill Elliott Swing Orchestra with Amy Weston and the Lucky Stars will follow. Activities for the kids include entertainment by the Jokesters plus face-painting and button-making. Gates open at 6 p.m. Picnic baskets are welcome. Tickets range from $5 to $20. Call (818) 238-5300.

* Lancaster will have two Fourth of July events: a free concert from 6 to 8 p.m. at Lancaster City Park, 43011 N. 10th St. W., and a fireworks show. The city’s fireworks show at dusk can be viewed from the overflow parking lots of JetHawks Stadium. The game is sold out, but the fireworks can be viewed from anywhere within a half-mile radius of the facility. Free. Call Lancaster’s Fourth of July hotline, (805) 723-6086.

* Palmdale offers its Fourth of July Music Americana Show and Fireworks Spectacular at Palmdale High School’s Riewer Field, 20th Street East, south of Palmdale Boulevard. Gates open at 6:30 p.m. A 90-minute musical revue--featuring musical tributes to New York City, Chicago, the South and California, plus the music of Disney--begins at 7:30 p.m. and is followed by the fireworks display. Both grandstand and lawn seating are available. Bring blankets or short-back lawn chairs. Picnic baskets are welcome. Admission is free. Call (805) 267-5611.

* San Fernando offer its own fireworks show, The American Adventure, at dusk. Festivities, including games, booths, food and a moon bounce, begin at 11 a.m. at Recreation Park, 208 Park Ave. Entertainment, featuring the Chico Band, the Ballet Folklorico Ollin, Mariachi Los Halcones, the Morningside Elementary School Choir, Folklorico Mexicano de San Fernando Valley and others, begins at 2 p.m. Admission is free. Call (818) 898-1290.

For Pyro-Phobics

If you’re allergic to the smell of gunpowder, these two communities have July 4 events planned that do not include fireworks.

* Calabasas will have a Fourth of July Splash Party at its Tennis and Swim Center, 23400 Park Sorrento. Besides swimming, the event will include games, music, food, a pet show and a moon bounce. Admission is free. Call (818) 222-2782.

* Newhall sponsors its Stars and Stripes Festival with a concert, featuring the band Groove Therapy and the Les Hooper Big Band, from noon to 4 p.m. at Newhall Park, 24933 Newhall Ave. Admission is free. Call (805) 298-ARTS.