Four things for the Fourth

As Havre enters into the three-day Independence Day weekend, there is an abundance of things for people to do.

Here are four events where people can have fun over the weekend for free.

1. Fourth of July Festival at Pepin Park

The 13th Annual Havre Fourth of July Festival in Pepin Park is set to provide entertainment and a barbecue to celebrate Independence Day in Havre.

Jenn Thompson, one of the organizers of the celebration, said that the event has been out together by Vince Woodwick and his family until this year when she and Jim Lyons took the reins.

The event is free to the public and lasts from noon to 5 p.m. The barbecue will provide hot dogs and burgers to the public at no cost until supplies run out.

There will also be live entertainment and activities for children like face-painting and balloon-tying.

Much of the money and supplies for the event were donated by local businesses, Thompson said.

Any funds donated to the event left over at the end of the day will be used for next year's celebration.

2. Jaycees community fireworks display

Once again, a local service group is planning to dazzle people with an Independence Day display of pyrotechnics.

The Havre Jaycees, as the group has for more than 40 years, will set off a display of fireworks Friday night, with the club president saying it looks like it will be a spectacular show this year.

"I got to see a sneak preview, and it was awesome," Jaycees President Chelby Gooch said.

The Jaycees put on the entire show from start to finish.

Jaycee Jason Murri puts together the display and runs the show using a computerized board.

Gooch said Murri has planned a finale lasting about three minutes, but he is not giving out all the details.

"He wants to surprise everyone," Gooch said.

She said Jaycees work the day before the Fourth and during the holiday itself setting the show up at the Great Northern Fairgrounds.

As usual, Gooch said, sales and donations at the Havre Jaycees fireworks go toward funding next year's display.

"Every penny of it goes back into the display."

3. "Romeo and Juliet" in Pepin Park

"Romeo and Juliet" is coming to Havre on the Fourth of July as part of the day's celebrations.

After the Havre Fourth of July Festival wraps up at 5 p.m., Shakespeare in the Park is scheduled to begin their production at 6:30 at Pepin Park.

Montana Shakespeare in the Park is bringing their production of "Romeo and Juliet" to Havre as part of their statewide tour.

The shows are free to the public.

4. Chinook All-Class High School Reunion

The Chinook All-Class Reunion kicks off Friday after a five-year recess and will bring hundreds of people to the streets of the town.

Heather DePriest, an organizer of the event, said that the All-Class Reunion brings Chinook High School students back together every five years and it is always well-attended.

"It doubles the size of Chinook," DePriest said. " ... We have alumni that have done great things in this world, so it's always exciting to see them come back."

DePriest said generally around 1,500 people show up to the event.

There is quite a line-up of events for the three-day celebration.

Friday begins with tours of the Chinook schools at 10 a.m. The tours will last until 4 p.m. and will take attendees through Chinook High School and Meadowlark School.

Also at 10 a.m. Friday are the Veterans of Foreign Wars races for kids at Meadowlark School.

A 3-on-3 basketball tournament will begin at 2 p.m. at CHS, but those who would like to play need to report to the gym at 1:30 p.m

Ppart of the registration to the events for the weekend include three meals. Heather DePriest, an organizer of the All-Class Reunion, said the meals will be worth the money.

"We're having a professional caterer from Billings come up, so the food should be pretty good," DePriest said.

After the meals Friday and Saturday, there will be a street dance from 8 p.m. to 1:30 a.m with live music from the Milk River Band.

After nightfall, the fireworks show will begin at the Blaine County Fairgrounds.

"We're going to have a fantastic fireworks display," DePriest said.

Saturday begins with a breakfast in the alley behind the Chinook Eagles Club at 7 a.m. The rest of the day includes a 5K fun run, the CHS "Door Sale," a golf tournament and a parade.

The golf tournament is a two-person scramble and costs $25 per person. The 9-hole tournament has its shotgun start at 10 a.m. and beer and bratwursts are available to the participants.

The CHS Door Sale will be in the high school and will offer classroom doors, uniforms and other CHS paraphernalia to shoppers.

There will always be vendors selling their wares throughout the three days of the reunion and DePriest said that anyone interested in setting up a booth can visit the reunion's website for information on how to do so.

Those who are interested in seeing the complete schedule of events can visit http://www.chsallclassreunion.com. People may also pre-register on the website. DePriest said that those who register online still need to get their packets at the CHS auditorium.

Registration is $60 per person and $30 per child under 10. People can register up to Friday at 5 p.m. for the following days' activities.