6/3 – 7/3 – Fourth of July Fun at the Discovery Museum – Enjoy a visit to the Discovery Museum this holiday week with a self-guided tour of their Blast from the Past exhibit. Everyone loves rocks, fossils, and dinosaurs! Kids can show patriotic pride by crafting one of the most popular crafts, a star-spangled waver.

7/4 – 4th of July River Cruise aboard the Hornblower – Celebrate the red, white, and blue on a cruise down the Sacramento River this 4th of July! Enjoy a one hour river cruise leaving from Old Sacramento to see the historical river ways that built Sacramento into what it is today. Celebrate with your whole family while getting your face painted, or receive a special balloon character from a balloon artist.

7/3 – 7/4 – Rancho Cordova’s Fourth of July Celebration – Rancho Cordova’s Fourth of July Celebration returns for a 30th year, and it’s bigger and better than ever! Join the fun with carnival rides, concerts, BMX show, festival food, free activities, booths, great Beer Garden, and the best fireworks shows in the region. The day before, it’s Journey Unauthorized on the Main Stage followed by a fireworks minishow warm-up. On the fourth, run the All America City 5k and spend a fun-filled day in Hagan Park. Dance the night away with Night Fever on stage topped off with the Fireworks Spectacular!

7/4 – Fourth on the Field – Mark your calendars for the 2nd Annual Fourth on the Field celebration! Come out and celebrate the birth of the nation, while bringing back the feel of a neighborhood block party with local food trucks lining the warning track, interactive games on the field, a kids area with fun games, inflatables for all ages, and live music from Nunchuck Taylor! To cap the night, bring your blankets and grab a spot on the field as they present a spectacular show in the sky with fireworks synced to America’s favorite patriotic music. Be prepared for a bigger, better, and longer show than last year!

7/4 – Stars & Stripes Breakfast – Start your day with a hearty American breakfast courtesy of the Elk Grove Lions Club! Come out to the park for pancakes with all the trimmings. After breakfast, bring your bicycle and participate in the Let Freedom Ride Bike and Pedal Parade

7/4 – 13th Annual Spirit of Freedom 4th of July Parade – The 13th Annual Arden Arcade Spirit of Freedom Parade will travel south on Fulton Avenue, West on Cottage Way and North on Bell Street into Howe Park’s North lot (Route length is 1.7 miles). Immediately following the parade, will be an awards ceremony at the Howe Park, along with family activities and free food.

7/4 – 7/5 – Rancho Cordova 4th of July 5k Run/Walk – Bring your family and friends and come exercise your freedom by participating in this fun 4th of July 5k! The run/walk will precede the 4th of July Parade. Run along Coloma Rd as people start lining the streets to cheer you on! The course will be flat and fun! The 5k will start and finish at Mills Middle School. The course will run/walk you right through Hagan Park and along the 4th of July parade route, where people will be lining the streets to cheer you on.

7/5 – International Celebration at Fairytale Town – Fairytale Town presents a day of international dance on the outdoor Mother Goose Stage. Enjoy nonstop performances of dances from around the world, including Chinese lion dancing and drumming, Scottish highland dancing, ballet folklorico and more.

7/5 – Wet Wild Pond Animals at the Effie Yeaw Nature Center – Some are slimy, some are bumpy, and some even have hard outer shells. Join a naturalist for some “catch and release” activities in the Nature Center pond and discover the animals that call our local ponds and wetland habitats home.

7/5 – 7/6 – Fanciful Fishes – Are you ready to swim like a fish? Visit the Discovery Museum this weekend to experience their “Swim For Your Life” experience. The visitor is an avatar salmon fighting their way upstream to spawn. Beware of the bear, eagle, and fisherman! In the classroom, kids will craft a woven paper fish mat to remember their fishy day at the museum.

7/6 – Meet the Menagerie at the Effie Yeaw Nature Center – Visit the critters that live in the Nature Center and learn why these animals couldn’t survive in the wild.