Fun on the Fourth

The night sky above Newport Beach will be aglow with fireworks. And the Costa Mesa Senior Center and the Mesa del Mar Homeowners Assn. will celebrate with a parade and a picnic.

In whichever city, or whichever community, there will be plenty to do this Fourth of July weekend in Newport-Mesa.

In Newport Beach, a fireworks extravaganza, co-sponsored by the city and the Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort, will be held from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. The fireworks display, expected to be bigger and better than in years past, will be at 9 p.m. and last about 30 minutes.

The special fireworks display will commemorate the national holiday as well as the city’s centennial. This will be the city’s 48th annual Fourth of July celebration.

The all-day event, held at the Dunes at 1131 Back Bay Drive, will include a family volleyball tournament, live music, food, carnival games, a raffle prize and adult and child limbo contests. No alcohol will be allowed on the beach.

The charge is $30 per car for the day and evening. For information, call (949) 729-3863.

Locals can celebrate the holiday at Mariners Park from 3 to 7 p.m. at the 34th Annual Independence Day Family Celebration and Parade. The event will feature carnival games, a craft boutique and activities for children. Local restaurants will be selling selections from their menus. The bike and walking parade will organize between 9:30 and 10 a.m. at Mariners Drive and Commodore Road.

Newport Harbor will be filled with boats decorated in red, white and blue for the holiday.

The 34th annual Fourth of July parade on Tuesday at Mariners Park at Dover Drive and Irvine Avenue, will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The parade will start at the corner of Commodore Road and Mariners Drive.

The event will include games, food, a raffle, a rock wall, a sports zone, a dunk tank and live music.

In Costa Mesa, the Mesa del Mar Homeowners Assn. will host a parade on Tuesday starting at 10 a.m. at Sonora Elementary School, 966 Sonora Road. People who want to participate in the parade can meet at the school at 9:30 a.m.

Bicycles, golf carts, scooters and other forms of transportation will be decorated in patriotic colors along the parade route, said Costa Mesa City Councilwoman Katrina Foley, who will be attending the event.

The parade will end at TeWinkle Park, 970 Arlington. At the park there will be free popsicles and beverages, as well as games for adults and children. A group photo of residents who live in the Mesa del Mar area will be taken at the event. About 300 people are expected to participate, Foley said.

South Coast Plaza donated gift certificates for the most patriotic golf cart, costume and bicycle. There will also be gifts for the most patriotic pet.

The Costa Mesa Senior Center will celebrate the Fourth of July on Monday by hosting a picnic from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the center at 695 W. 19th St. The event will feature live music and burgers. The fee is $5 for members, $12 for nonmembers. For information, call (949) 645-2356.MARK DUSTIN / DAILY PILOTdpt.30-happs-2-CPhotoInfoNG1SFV2120060630ij115mknDAILY PILOT(LA)Estancia coach John Carpenter hands over a box of fireworks to Randy Harvey at the Blockbuster Fireworks stand on the corner of Placentia Avenue and Victoria Street last year. Proceeds benefit the Estancia aquatics and girls basketball programs. dpt.30-happs-2-B.1PhotoInfoNG1SGE4E20060630ij4odrkn(LA)dpt.30-happs-3-CPhotoInfoNG1SGBHG20060630j1n6kuncMARK DUSTIN / DAILY PILOT(LA) The Phantom Fireworks stand in the parking lot of Norms restaurant at the intersection of Victoria Street and Harbor Boulevard in Costa Mesa on Thursday