A number of activities are planned in the Mid-Ohio Valley during the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

WASHINGTON COUNTY

The Friends of Front Street will kick off the Fourth of July weekend in downtown Marietta at 6 p.m. Friday, July 3, with the 15th annual Red, White and Bluesfest in the parking lot of the Lafayette Hotel at 101 Front St.

Tickets are $5 each. There will be food concessions offered by the Lafayette Hotel, with beer concessions by Budweiser.

The gate opens at 6 p.m. and the music runs from 7 p.m. to midnight. This year's musical lineup includes the Dennis McClung Blues Band from Fairmont, W.Va., the Inner City Blues Band from Columbus and the Sunny Moorman Group from Cincinatti.

Marietta's annual Independence Day Parade and Celebration will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 4.

The parade will start at the Marietta College parking lot at Fourth and Butler streets and proceed along Butler, Putnam and Front streets to the Ohio National Guard Armory building in the 200 block of Front Street. Following the parade, a ceremony will be held on the front lawn of the armory.

The Washington County Fairgrounds in Marietta will play host to a demolition derby and fireworks on Saturday, July 4.

Gates open at 2 p.m. and the demolition derby starts at 7 p.m., said fair board secretary Bonnie Gill. Tickets are $5 for general admission and $20 for pit passes. The fireworks will be held at 10 p.m. at the fairgrounds.

The fifth annual Marietta Wing Thing! will be 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, July 4, in the Lafayette Hotel parking lot at 101 Front St. in downtown Marietta.

The event features a chicken wing cookoff with local restaurants vying for top honors in the Mid-Ohio Valley for Best Hot Wing, Best Classic Wing, Best Original Wing and a People's Choice Award.

Admission is $10 per person and includes tickets to sample wings from the participating restaurants. A wing eating contest will be held at 8 p.m.

Little Muskingum Grange 2621 will hold its annual Eight Mile Road Horse Pull beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday, July 4, at the William Bowersock Farm on Washington County 9 near Marietta.

The event will include two contests for pulling horses and three events for pulling ponies. There will also be miniature horses, concessions and other activities.

American Legion Post 389's annual Beverly-Waterford Homecoming will be Thursday through Saturday, July 2 to 4, at Dodge Park in Beverly.

Now in its 63rd year, the homecoming will begin with the annual parade on Thursday. Units will gather at 6 p.m. at Waterford Elementary School, and the parade will begin at 6:30 p.m. through Waterford and Beverly to Dodge Park.

There is no admission for the homecoming event, which will include live entertainment, rides, food, raffles and other activities.

This year's activities will feature "Beverly-Waterford Homecoming's Got Talent," a contest providing an opportunity for the community to show off their "hidden talents." It will be divided in two age groups, under 18 and over 18 years.

The first round of competition will be 8 p.m. Thursday, July 2, and the second round will be 6:30 p.m. Friday, July 3, with the overall finale to follow. Three cash prizes will be awarded with $200 going to first, $100 to second and $50 to third place. For more information on this event, call (740) 336-8575.

For additional information regarding this year's homecoming, contact Steve Wainwright at (740) 984-2498.

The Beverly Lions Club will sponsor its annual Antique Engine and Tractor Show from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, July 4, at Fort Frye High School in Beverly.

Antique engine and tractor clubs and individuals are welcome to participate. The Beverly Lions Club and other vendors will serve food during the show and the fireworks. There will be drawings and raffle tickets. Food will be available all day, beginning with a pancake breakfast at the Beverly Fire Station from 7 to 11 a..m.

The annual community fireworks display will be presented at 10 p.m. at Cadet Field at Fort Frye High School, sponsored by American Legion Post 389.

Newport Volunteer Fire Department's annual firemen's social begins with a parade at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 4.

The parade route goes from Newport Elementary School on Charles Street through Newport. Lineup for the parade begins at 10 a.m.

Social activities after the parade will take place behind the fire department on Ohio 7. There will be bingo, concessions, inflatables, games, hay rides, a country store and live entertainment from 5 to 10 p.m. The social will end with a fireworks display at 10.

The Little Hocking Volunteer Fire Department will hold its annual ice cream social on Saturday, July 4.

The social will start at 4 p.m. with a parade at Little Hocking Elementary School. There will be live entertainment, food and games.

In Marietta, the Valley Gem Sternwheeler is offering a Fourth of July Fireworks Dinner Cruise with a buffet and music by Steve and Bev Pottmeyer. The boat will cruise on the Ohio River during dinner and drop anchor on the Muskingum River to view the fireworks at 10 p.m. The cruise departs at 8 and returns at 11.

The Valley Gem is behind Armory Square, in the 200 block of Front Street. Call (740) 373-7862 for costs and reservations.

WOOD COUNTY

The Williamstown Lions Club will hold its annual pancake breakfast from 7 to 11 a.m. July 4 in Tomlinson Park in Williamstown. The cost is $5 and includes pancakes, sausage and drink. The money raised from the event benefits community projects.

The annual American Legion Post 15 Carnival and fireworks show at Parkersburg City Park begins Friday and runs through July 4 with games, rides and concessions.

The annual fireworks show will be at 10 p.m. Saturday, July 4, in City Park, with a rain date to be scheduled if necessary.

Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park will be celebrating the holiday with a "Ringing of the Bell" ceremony at 2 p.m. Saturday, July 4, on the island, as part of a national celebration. The bells will be rung 13 times to signify the 13 American colonies.

As part of the holiday celebration, Blennerhassett Island will participate in the "Trans-Allegheny Clash of Cultures" with a "History Alive" program that will feature Man Killer Ostenaco, portrayed by Doug Wood, a Cherokee leader who along with others reenactors will recreate a warrior campsite and offer special interactive activities and programs throughout the day. Costumed history interpreters will shed new light on the alliance formed between the colony of Virginia and the Cherokees to oust the French from the Ohio Valley more than 250 years ago.

Boats to the island on July 4 depart Civitan Park in Belpre on the hour from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and return on the half hour. The cost of the boat ride is $8 for adults and $7 for children ages 3 to 12. The island also features mansion tours, wagon rides, bike rentals, snack stand and a gift shop.

Boat tickets can be purchase at the Blennerhassett Museum at Second and Juliana streets in downtown Parkersburg at the ticket booth on the island. For more information, call the park office at (304) 420-4800 or the Web site at www.blennerhassettislandstatepark.com.

The Junior League of Parkersburg and local band Attention Deficit are joining forces for a benefit concert from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, July 4, at the City Park Bandshell.

There is no admission for the concert, but Junior League members will have a 50/50 drawing and will be selling shirts and bricks. Proceeds will benefit the JuLePs Pathways Playground, a project by the Junior League to upgrade and enlarge the City Park playground into an all-accessible playground.