St. Joseph residents have many free options to see fireworks displays on Friday.

The city of St. Joseph’s 27th annual Fourth of July fireworks display will be held at the Missouri Riverfront Friday.

Entertainment and one of the viewing areas will be at Heritage Park Softball Complex. Viewers also may choose to watch the fireworks from a car at the parking lot at McArthur Drive and Waterworks Road, although no concessions or entertainment will be available there. Portable toilets will be available.

The St. Joseph Symphony Concert Band will perform an American Music concert beginning at 8:45 p.m. The band will play to the fireworks, which begin at dark, at about 9:40 p.m. There will be more than 1,000 shells shot.

Terrible’s St. Jo Frontier Casino, which is between Heritage Park and the McArthur Drive lot, will have a “Booming Barbeque” in its parking lot near the river. The festivities will begin at 6 p.m. with food available for purchase. Midnight Express will play outdoors at 7 p.m. and the Chessmen will play in the Bougainvillea Lounge at 8 p.m.

Both Heritage Park and the McArthur Drive lot will open at 7 p.m., according to the city. For safety reasons, McArthur Drive will close at 9 p.m. until after the fireworks finale. Parking along McArthur Drive is prohibited.

In the city’s South Side, the seventh annual Fourth at the Lake celebration is planned for Lake Contrary, weather permitting.

Joan Bennett, of the Lake Contrary Development Association, said the event depends on the amount of rain received during the week because of the farmland where the fireworks are shot from. Ms. Bennett will contact the News-Press later this week to inform readers if the event will go on as planned.

If the celebration is held, it will begin at 5 p.m. with a sand castle building contest. The castles will be judged at 7 p.m.

A cakewalk will be held at 5:30 p.m. At 6 p.m. a kids treasure hunt will be held, followed by a greased watermelon contest at 7:30 p.m. The “famous” cardboard boat race will be held at 8 p.m. The fireworks would be shot after the boat race when it was dark.

Buchanan County sponsored the fireworks and the festival.

T-shirts, food and drinks will be available for purchase.

Election candidates are welcome at the festival. If a candidate would like to set up a booth, a $25 charge will be collected.

All money raised from the T-shirts will go to the Lake Contrary pumping fund.

There also will be a free celebration at Word of Life Church at Riverside and Cook roads. The event will begin at 8:30 p.m. There will be a free concert and fireworks. People are urged to bring lawn chairs and blankets and are encouraged to come early to tailgate. Alcohol will not be allowed.