Up North.

AN INSIDER’S FOURTH UP NORTH

by LYNDA TWARDOWSKI WHEATLEY

8 events locals love—and will happily recommend to a friend.

Arguably the most action-packed day and night of summer in Northern Michigan, July 4th in the North is bursting—in air, on water and across most every town—with fireworks, parades and patriotic parties of all kinds. Your challenge: choosing. Here, our well-intentioned attempt to help you find the all-American North Country fun that fits you best:

A TWO-FER

The sky over Little Traverse Bay hosts not one but two fireworks shows on the Fourth: Harbor Springs schedules its start for 10:30 p.m. Petoskey, just four miles across the water, aims for the thereabouts-ish “dusk.” Whether the neighboring shows ultimately overlap or light up the night in succession, you’re guaranteed two for the price of none.

The Biggest

Mackinaw City bills its Fourth of July fireworks—starting at dusk, after a peppy Patriotic concert at Conkling Heritage Park—the largest display in Northern Michigan. (We’re inclined to believe; the city takes its fireworks shows so seriously it also hosts two a week, every Friday and Sunday night, all summer long.)

Mega Musical

A 30-minute multi-genre musical mashup timed to the rhythm of jaw-dropping pyrotechnics dancing over West Grand Traverse Bay makes this 10:30 p.m. event a favorite at Traverse City’s National Cherry Festival—one worthy of the name of the nonprofit that makes it happen, the TC Boom Boom Club.

FUN, CIRCA 1880

Fort Mackinac will celebrate Independence Day much as its soldiers did more than a century ago: with music, banners and bunting; patriotic toasts; games of catch, hoop and stick, and Jacob’s Ladder. Watch fireworks explode overhead from the fort’s hilltop perch or scurry west of downtown to the schoolyard on Main Street; its wateradjacent location gets you closer to the action and the Mighty Mac, lit up red, white and blue-tiful for the occasion.

We The People

Neither sun nor wind nor heat nor parade traffic stays volunteers from delivering a public reading of the Declaration of Independence at the doors of multiple Leelanau County post offices at 10 a.m. each Fourth of July. Find locations and call ahead to confirm: postallocations.com.