Strike up the band! And watch the fireworks on the Fourth!

The city of Oak Ridge will celebrate the Fourth of July Thursday with its annual fireworks show and Oak Ridge Community Band concert.

The fireworks are scheduled to begin at dark, around 9:45 p.m. Thursday, according to a city news release.

The Oak Ridge Community Band will perform prior to the fireworks at the outdoor pavilion at A.K. Bissell Park behind the Oak Ridge Public Library and Civic Center. The concert is free, but donations are accepted by the band to help cover the cost of equipment and other expenses. The music is expected to begin at 7:30 p.m.

"This year’s July 4 concert is special for the Community Band because we are also celebrating the 80 ^th anniversary of the band’s very first concert on July 4, 1944," wrote Barbara Gritzner, a band member and the band's publicist, in an earlier story in The Oak Ridger .

Anyone planning to attend is advised to bring a lawn chair or blanket for outdoor seating.

A safety zone for the fireworks show will be established by the Oak Ridge Fire Department. Sit only in the designated areas. The walking trail and a majority of Bissell Park will be closed for safety reasons during the fireworks show and set up.

Parking will not be allowed along the Oak Ridge Turnpike right of way. Drivers also should not park on private property, unless they have obtained permission from the owner.

Live elsewhere in the area, or want to travel a bit to see a fireworks show or participate in another Independence Day event?

Rocky Top fireworks and more

Rocky Top's annual Fourth of July activities center around the George Templin Memorial Field, known by locals as "the ballfield."

• Car show from 9 to 11:30 a.m. July 4, sponsored by Tennessee Gas LLC, according to the Rocky Top government Facebook page .
• Kids Parade begins at 4:45 p.m. in the parking lot of Truist Bank on Main Street and ends at the ballfield, where kids can play. Kids of all ages can decorate non-motorized bicycles, scooters, strollers, wagons, wheelchairs or just march through the parade. Pre-register at city hall to be entered into a prize drawing.
• The ballfield will open for other activities at 5 p.m.
• Coal Creek Miners Museum , 201 S. Main St., will have a ribbon-cutting ceremony and reveal of the Memorial Brick Walkway at 1 p.m. At 7 p.m., the Miners Museum will have live music, hot dogs, snacks, drinks, light-up accessories for sale, according to its Facebook page.
• Fireworks begin at 9:30 p.m. or when it gets dark.

Clinton fireworks

• The free Fourth of July Celebration at Lakefront Park July 4 will begin at 5 p.m. and end with a firework display at 10 p.m. There will be food trucks, East Tennessee Championship Wrestling, axe throwing, Little Ponderosa's petting zoo, bounce houses, a game truck and more.
• More details at adventureanderson.com/events .

Museum of Appalachia's anvil ashoot

• The Museum of Appalachia in will celebrate Independence Day by igniting anvils with gunpowder and sending them hurtling into the sky, the same way pioneers used to celebrate holidays.
• The anvil shoots are throughout the day 9 a.m-3 p.m. July 4 at the museum.
• Tickets are $10-$50 and can be purchased at museumofappalachia.org .

Norris Day

The 56th Annual Norris Day celebration begins early - for a holiday - and ends late with fireworks at 9:30 p.m.

• 8:30 a.m. - Register for the Kids Dog Show
• 9 a.m. - Posting of Colors
• 9:10 a.m. - Kids Dog Show
• 9:30 a.m. - Sack Races
• 10 a.m. - Duck Races
• 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. - Inflatables
• 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. - Water Slide
• 10:30 a.m. - Decorated Bicycle Parades
• 11:15 a.m. - Many-Wheel Races
• 12:15 p.m. - Water Balloon Toss
• 3 p.m. - Water-Ball Battles
• 5:30 p.m. - Evening program at Pavilion
• 7 p.m. - Free Concert on the Commons (lawn in front of Norris Middle School), 110 in the Shade is a six-member band that performs rhythm and blues, soul, funk and Motown.
• 9:30 p.m. - Fireworks

Kingston fireworks

• Fireworks over Watts Bar Lake will end the Smokin' the Water festival at Kingston City Park. The event is 5-11 p.m.
• The fireworks display is “one of the largest in the area.” Food and craft vendors will be there, too.
• Kingstontn.gov has more festival information.

Devarrick Turner of Knox News contributed to this story.

The Oak Ridger's News Editor Donna Smith covers Oak Ridge area news. Email her at dsmith@oakridger.com and follow her on Twitter@ridgernewsed.

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This article originally appeared on Oakridger: Strike up the band! And watch the fireworks on the Fourth!