“Homeland,” a montage of patriotic music performed by the Tri-Lakes Music Association, will show June 29 to July 1 at the Palmer Ridge High School auditorium in Monument. The show begins at 7 p.m. on the June 29 and 30, with doors opening at 6:30. On July 1 the show begins at 2 p.m. with doors opening at 1:30. The concert is free, but donations will pay for operating costs and then go to the association’s scholarship for students who participate with it in the performing arts. For more, go to http://events.gazettedev.gazette.com and search “Homeland.”

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Fort Carson’s annual 4th on the 3rd celebration continues this year with “Red, White and BOOM!,” held in Iron Horse Park on post. The event is free and open to the public. It begins at 4 p.m. with live music from the 4thID Ivy Division Band. There will be vendors with food, as well as free family events including a bouncy house, a potato sack race, prize giveaways and arts and crafts for kids. Fireworks start at 9 p.m. or after dark. For more, go to tinyurl.com/76cogjq

or www.ftcarsonnow.com/?p=2501.

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Palmer Lake Elementary’s annual 4th of July Fun Run will kick off at 7 a.m. at Santa Fe Trail in Palmer Lake and finishing in Monument in time for the parade. Online registration continues through noon July 3 and is $25 (adult), $15 (child). You can also register at the packet pick-up at Palmer Lake Elementary school July 3 from 2-5 p.m. for $27 and $20, respectively. On the day of the race, registration is available at tables at the pavilion at Palmer Lake Park Santa Fe Trail head from 5:30-6:30 a.m. for $30. There will transportation back to Palmer Lake available after the run. Money goes directly to the school. Registration info and more can be found at www.july4funrun.com.

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USA Ultimate will have its first US Open July 4-8 at the Air Force Academy. The opening ceremony will be 4 p.m. July 4 in Falcon Stadium, with 24 teams from across the U.S. and from as far away as Colombia and Canada competing. The rest of the tournament will be in the academy’s lacrosse stadium and surrounding fields. Admission is free and the event is open to the public. For more information, go to www.usaultimate.org/usopen/. *

*Ultimate is a sport a bit like football that uses a Frisbee.

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Bring your family to the Grange in the Meadows, Castle Rock, for an Independence Day celebration. Running from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Bison Park (1390 Clear Sky Way), the event will feature live music from the Castle Rock Dixie Dogs, an “Apple-Anything” baking contest and games for kids, including tug-of-war and yard games led by a games master. There also will be a climbing wall, a big bubble tower, a bike parade, concessions and crafts for kids such as making gliders and pinwheels. For more, go to tinyurl.com/88hfamu or tinyurl.com/7h4djnr.

If you’re looking to spend a full day out, there will be a 4th of July festival in Woodland Park. There’s a fishing contest 8-9 a.m. at the lake in Memorial Park and fireworks at 9:30 p.m. Horseshoe, volleyball and basketball tournaments will run 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. All but basketball ($5/person) are free to enter, with winners receiving donated t-shirts and trophies. Register in the Parks and Recreation office or at the Parks and Recreation booth in front of the tennis court before 9:30 a.m. on the 4th. An all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast will be 7:30-10 a.m. in the senior center, which is on corner of the park behind city hall. This event is a fundraiser for Community Partnership Family Resource Center. The center also is holding a silent auction, and the whole area will be ringed by vendors, including a crafters alley and a food court. For more information, visit tinyurl.com/776tr2x or tinyurl.com/6uopuha.

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Cripple Creek will celebrate on the 4th at the city park. Starting at 11 a.m., it’ll have children activities in the park, and events run into the evening. There will be live bluegrass music starting around noon, with fireworks at dark, around 9:15 p.m. The skate park will be open, and there will be roller skating on the inside of the Parks and Recreation Department, which will also host water activities for kids. Admission is free, and most games are free. For more information, go to tinyurl.com/7yoa5t2 or tinyurl.com/82vdn8p.

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The Air Force Academy is hosting games, music performances and a fireworks show July 4. Gates open at 4 p.m., and from 4 – 8 p.m. outside Falcon Stadium there will be bouncy houses, games and food and beverage vendors. At 7 p.m., the Colorado Springs Philharmonic will perform in Falcon Stadium, and at 8:20 p.m. the Air Force Academy band will perform, with the two groups joining in a finale. Base gates close at 9 p.m., and fireworks begin at 9:30. The event is free and open to the public, but prohibited inside the stands are coolers, barbeque grills, pets other than working service dogs, backpacks and fireworks. Visit tinyurl.com/6uxavt4 for more on the Pilharmonic’s performance.

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Start your July 4 outside with a hike at Red Rock Canyon at West High Street in Colorado Springs. You can meet up with other hikers and the leader at 8:30 a.m. for a one and a half to two hour hike, with time and route varying depending on hikers. The meeting place is at Red Rock Canyon, near the map board at the east end of the main parking lot. There is no charge, and sign up is optional but helpful. You can go in person to the Manitou Springs Chamber of Commerce or call 719-685-5089. For more information, go to tinyurl.com/85xcpl7.

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Monument’s July 4 Street Fair runs 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in downtown Monument, 2nd and Washington streets. There will be more than 100 booths featuring everything imaginable – face painting, non-profit info, jewelry, lemonade, fair food and more. At Limbach Park, at the end of 2nd street, there will be other activities, including a series of performers. Booths are still available. For more information, visit tinyurl.com/7ejkypo or tinyurl.com/7tv84s3.

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Monument’s annual 4th of July Parade, sponsored by the Kiwanis Club, will begin with the Children’s Parade at 9:30 a.m. The main parade, with the theme is “Stand up for the red, white and blue,” begins at 10 a.m. and ends around noon. Spectators should arrive by 8:30 a.m., as the town expects up to 30,000 people to attend. There will be about 115 entries this year: Renaissance performers, Fort Carson contingents, a color guard from the Air Force Academy and more. Try to get as close to Limbach Park as possible, because the street fair — which begins at 10 a.m. — is going to close off 2nd and Washington streets. More details on the parade route can be found on page two of tinyurl.com/6nw6gah. Afterwards, there will be a flag ceremony from 12:15 – 1 p.m. For more, go to tinyurl.com/7q8m4te.

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Head out to Palmer Lake on the 4th for live music, fireworks and more. The celebration runs from noon to 8:30 pm at the Ball Field. Admission is free, and the event will feature kid’s games, including a climbing wall, obstacle courses, bouncy houses, a train and a hay ride. There will be a beer garden for adults on County Line Road. Fireworks start at 9 p.m. and they can be seen easily from anywhere in the park. A finalist from the Colorado’s You Got Talent 2012, Monument resident Alyssa Austin, will sing the national anthem before the fireworks show. For more information, call 719-884-8037 or visit palmerlakefireworks.com/.

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You can enjoy America’s favorite pasttime at Security Service Field as the Sky Sox play the Reno Aces on July 4. After the game, there will be a 10-minute fireworks extravaganza. Tickets are $12/$15 (adults), $10/$13 (children), $10/$13 (military discount) for lower box and upper reserved seating, respectively. More information can be found at www.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=t551.

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Drop by Rock Ledge Ranch for a Family Fourth, walk through the reenactment of a revolutionary war camp, hear General William Jackson Palmer read the Declaration of Independence, talk to Katherine Lee Bates, play carnival games and more. Cost is $8/person with children under 5 free. Family Fourth runs 10 a.m.-5 p.m. For more information on visit www.rockledgeranch.com

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Go South to Security for a pancake street breakfast hosted by Security’s Fire Department. The breakfast runs 6 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Tickets are $5, children 12 and under are $3. For more information visit http://events.gazettedev.gazette.com and search for “pancake breakfast.”

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Castle Rock will have a fireworks show July 4 at dark or 9:30 p.m. and run until around 10 p.m. They will be set off at Metzler Ranch Community Park, which will open after 4 p.m. July 4. Fireworks can be viewed from inside the park or surrounding areas. For more information, go to tinyurl.com/7f6j9rr.

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If you didn’t get a chance to see fireworks on the Fourth or just aren’t partied out yet, don’t worry. On July 5, “Symphony above the Clouds,” held in Woodland Park, will feature fireworks, as well as a performance by the Colorado Springs Philharmonic at 7 p.m. at Woodland Park Middle School. Doors open at 5 p.m., and there is no charge for attendance. The set list and more can be found at tinyurl.com/853hvex.

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