HOLIDAY HAPPENINGS | Patriotic pets and family fun

Jacksonville’s Nichols Park is the setting for a full day of all-American family fun this Fourth of July. Activities include an all-day flea market, kids’ fishing tournament, Premier Bank charity walks and fun runs, concessions, cake and pie contests, cardboard boat races, bingo, swimming, live entertainment and more. A kid zone will be open from 12 to 7 p.m., with inflatables, games, contests, face painting and a balloon artist. There will also be various celebrations for our four-legged friends, such as a petting zoo with exotic animals, Kretzer’s pony pals, a patriotic pet contest and a wiener dog race. The Jacksonville Rotary Club’s annual Fourth of July parade will occur from 10 to 11 a.m., traveling from Duncan Park along West State Street to Central Park Plaza. Festivities will conclude at 9:30 p.m. with a firework grand finale over Mauvaise Terry Lake. For a full schedule of entertainment, visit http://jacksonvilleil4th.com.