Events

• Raleigh: July 4 at the State Fairgrounds. Admission, parking, and activities are free of charge. Activities begin at 5 p.m. July 4 and end at 8:30 p.m. Activities include sports, Independence Day hat-making activity, arts, dance instruction, nature program, adventure program, Taiko Japanese drumming performance, Holiday Express expo, Raleigh Police & Fire displays, Dorton Arena's giant obstacle course, Design a Park activity, Wii games, contests, scavenger hunt and bingo. The "Got to be NC Watermelon Cutting" provided by NC Watermelon Association will begin at 5 p.m. at the July 4th Celebration and continue while supplies last. The grand scale fireworks show will start at 9:15 p.m. Food vendors will be on-site. In the event of inclement weather on July 4th, only the fireworks will be held on July 5th at 9:15 p.m. More Details.
  
• Cary: Booth Amphitheatre July 4 Celebration. 3 p.m. July 4. Free lawn seating, games, food, fireworks.
  
• Chapel Hill: Celebrate with fireworks at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Gates open at 7 p.m. at the stadium's south side. There will be music from Johnny White and The Elite Band beginning at 8 p.m. Fireworks are planned for 9:30 p.m.. You can also enjoy face painting, juggling and balloon twisting.
  
• Carrboro: The Carrboro Community 4th Celebration will feature a variety of music, a juggling Uncle Sam and lots of music with Big Mama E and The Cool. This is a daytime event beginning at 9:30 a.m.
  
• Apex: Downtown Apex - 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. FREE Games, Inflatables, Music, Parade. More Details
  
• Morrisville: Experience a traditional Fire Truck "Wet-Down" on July 4. A wet-down is a ceremony that gets the community involved in placing a new fire truck into service. From 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Firefighter Explorer Post will be raising funds with a hot dog lunch while the kids can participate in lots of fun activities. Stick around for the "wet-down" at 2 p.m. and make sure the kids wear playclothes or swimsuits, because there's lots of water involved!
  
• Clayton: A full-range of activities from 4 p.m. until a fireworks show at 9:15 p.m. Events are planned for the municipal park and will feature field events, a horseshoe tournament, music from "The Main Event Band," raffles and free ice cream and watermelon.
  
• Garner: The town of Garner will celebrate beginning when the gates open at 5 p.m. July 3 at Lake Benson Park. Fireworks are planned for 9:30 p.m. Drivers are being advised that there will be heavy traffic delays along Aversboro Road and Buffaloe Road.
  
• Fort Bragg: Enjoy live music, a parachute demonstration and fireworks at Operation Celebration Freedom. Pets and glass bottles are not allowed. All tents and shelters must be erected in the designated area. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early due to heavy traffic flow. The event is free and open to the public.
  
• Durham: The Watts Hospital-Hillandale is hosting its 60th annual Fourth of July parade at 10 a.m. in Oval Drive Park, 2200 W. Club Blvd. Children can bring their bikes, scooters, skateboards, etc. to ride in the parade. Take in some free music at the Music on the Lawn concert series at American Tobacco. John Brown & The Groove Shop Band will perform from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. under the water tower at the American Tobacco complex. Bring blankets and chairs. Food and drinks are available from restaurant vendors. Watch fireworks at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Admission is free after the seventh inning of the USA baseball game, which is expected to end around 7:30 p.m. The fireworks start at 9 p.m. after remarks from city officials.
  
• Selma: Celebrate Independence Day at the 6th annual All-American Festival. This year's event will feature live entertainment, a variety of vendors, special events and a children's area with a fireworks display beginning at 9:15 p.m. at Uptown Selma, 100 North Raiford St.
  
• Elizabeth City - July 3 - FREE Live Music at the the City Wine Sellar, free from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Fireworks at Water Front Park from 6 to 9 p.m. July 4. 
  

• Wake Forest: Special fireworks and children’s activities are part of the town’s 100th birthday. Friday, July 3 at Wake Forest-Rolesville High School’s Trentini Stadium. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. Events include musical performances at 6:30 p.m.

• University Lake will be open Friday through Sunday; Cane Creek Reservoir will be open Saturday

• Best Firework displays in the country.

Closures/Schedule Changes

• Triangle Transit regional bus service will operate on a Saturday service schedule on Friday July 3. Four routes WILL operate: Route 101 - RTP to Raleigh; Route 412S - RTP to Durham to Chapel Hill; Route 413S - RTP to Chapel Hill to Durham; Route 747 - Airport Shuttle. Triangle Transit will NOT operate on Saturday, July 4. Regional bus and shuttle service will resume July 6. Riders with questions can contact the GoTriangle Regional Transit Information Center at 919-485-RIDE.
  
• NC Post Offices throughout will operate on a Saturday schedule July 3. Post Offices will be closed July 4. Express Mail will be delivered on July 4 and regular mail delivery will resume Monday, July 6
• July 4 Travel Tips and Infromation

Most area government offices will be closed July 3.

• Click here for details about Durham's schedule for transit, parks and waste disposal.
  
• City offices and Fayetteville-Cumberland recreation centers are closed Friday, July 3 in observance of Independence Day. Trash service for Friday, July 3 is rescheduled and will be collected along with Monday’s trash on Monday, July 6. Recycling for Friday, July 3 is canceled and will be picked up on Friday, July 10. Yard waste collection on Friday, July 3 and Monday, July 6 will skip a week to Friday, July 10 and Monday, July 13, respectively, because yard waste crews will be used to pick up trash Monday, July 6. The Fayetteville Area System of Transit (FAST) will operate on normal hours Friday, July 3, but will not run buses Saturday, July 4.
  
• Carrboro will be closed on Monday, July 7 in observance of Independence Day. There will be no garbage collection this day. Monday’s garbage will be collected one day later, on Tuesday, July 7.  Friday garbage collection will be collected as normal. There will be no change in curb side recycling schedule.
  
• OWASA’s offices at 400 Jones Ferry Road, Carrboro, will be closed for the holiday on Friday, but OWASA personnel will be on call to respond to service interruptions or other emergency needs. Customers are welcome to call 968-4421 at any time to report emergency service needs.
   
• Cumberland County Government offices will be closed on Friday, July 3, in observance of Independence Day.  All Cumberland County Public Library & Information Center locations and the Animal Services Office will remain closed on Saturday, July 4. The libraries will resume normal hours on Sunday, July 5. All Solid Waste Container Sites/Recycling Centers, the Ann Street Landfill and the Wilkes Road Yard Waste Facility will be closed Friday, July 3, but will revert to normal operating hours on Saturday, July 4.

Safety Tips

According to the U.S. Consumer Product and Safety Commission, there are nearly 9,000 emergency room-treated injuries associated with fireworks a year.

• Never give fireworks to small children, and always follow the instructions on the packaging.
• Keep a supply of water close-by as a precaution.
• Make sure the person lighting fireworks always wears eye protection.
• Light only one firework at a time and never attempt to relight "a dud."
• Store fireworks in a cool, dry place away from children and pets.
• Never throw or point a firework toward people, animals, vehicles, structures or flammable materials.
• Stay at least 500 feet away from professional fireworks displays.
• Leave any area immediately where untrained amateurs are using fireworks.

Swimming Safety
Durham County Sheriff Worth Hill wants citizens to use caution when swimming at a beach or at a pool. Hill said, "Sadly, most deaths from drowning occur within a few feet of safety." The best thing anyone can do to stay safe in and around water is to learn to swim. The Red Cross has swimming courses for people of any age and swimming ability. To find out where lessons are offered or to enroll in a CPR/AED or first aid course, contact your local Red Cross chapter.

At a swimming pool, take the following precautions:

• If no lifeguard is on duty, do not let children swim unless they are accompanied by a responsible adult who knows lifesaving techniques and first aid.
• Post CPR instructions and directions to call 9-1-1 or your local emergency number in the pool area.
• Look around the pool area to be certain lifesaving devices are readily available for emergency use.
• Be sure covers are installed on all drains of a swimming pool or in a wading pool. The suction created by the pool's circulating pumps can be very dangerous unless it is reduced by covers.
• Take frequent breaks (about once an hour) where everyone gets out of the water, drinks water, reapplies sunscreen (SPF15 or higher) and rests.
• If a child is missing, check the pool first. Go to the edge of the pool and scan the entire pool, bottom, and surface, as well as the surrounding pool area.
• To reduce the risk of eye, ear, nose or throat infection from contaminated water, swim only in pools in which water quality is properly maintained. The water should appear crystal clear, be continuously circulated and be maintained at a level that allows free overflow into the gutter or skimmer. There should not be a strong odor of ammonia or chlorine.

At the beach, take the following precautions:

• Swim in a supervised, marked area with a lifeguard present, and swim with others. Never swim alone.
• If you are caught in a rip current, swim parallel to the shore until you are out of the current. Once you are free, turn and swim toward shore. If you can't swim to the shore, float or tread water until you are free of the rip current and then head toward shore.
• Watch out for "dangerous too's" - too tired, too cold, too far from safety, too much sun, too much strenuous activity.
• Look for water that is reasonably clear and free of floating materials and odors. Avoid swimming at beaches where there are large populations of ducks, geese or gulls. The waste product by these birds causes high bacteria levels in the water.
• Look for movement in the water; it helps keep the water clean. Do not swim in stagnant or still water.
• Do not swim at any beach right after a heavy rain. Runoff following a heavy rain may result in a high bacteria level.
• When diving at a beach, exercise extreme caution. Beach water is not as clear as water in a pool, so underwater obstructions may not be visible.
• Avoid having beach water in your mouth or nose.