This Saturday’s Independence Day celebration in Bangor’s Village Park will be an all-day affair guaranteed to end with a bang — actually a whole series of bangs as fireworks light up the night sky courtesy of the Bangor American Legion.

“This is our biggest fundraiser of the year,” said Butch Knutson, adjutant for the Bangor Legion. “It helps pay for everything that we do throughout the year — things like sending students to Badger Boys State, providing scholarships for graduating seniors and sponsoring the oratorical contest.”

Knutson said this year’s event will have all the activities that participants enjoyed last year. From 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. there will be a youth trout fishing contest in Dutch Creek for three age divisions.

Bingo lovers will have two sessions — afternoon and evening — to satisfy their craving and there will be a Bangor Legion baseball game at 2 p.m. between current and past members of the Red Birds.

“That game is a longstanding tradition and lots of people come back just to see the players,” Knutson said.

There also will be games and craft activities for kids from age 2 through fifth grade from 2 to 5 p.m. Also during that time, Dave Kiral will provide music.

After the Red Birds game there will be a raffle drawing, and Knutson noted that charcoal chicken and other kinds of food and beverages will be served all day.

Something new — and tasty — this year will be a 5 p.m Pies in the Park auction put on by the Bangor Area Merrimakers. Flavors up for bid will include apple, pumpkin, turtle cheesecake, rhubarb, pecan, peach, blueberry, blueberry cheesecake, triple berry, raspberry, cherry, strawberry, banana, lemon and coconut cream.

“They (the Merrimakers) are going to be donating the proceeds to the auxiliary and the Legion,” Knutson said. “It’s their way of helping out.”

“We’re a group of women that do things for the community,” said Merrimakers member Ruth Elsen. One of the Merrimakers’ most recent fundraisers was for the Bangor First Responders.

“All the money we raise with the pies will go back to the Legion — they let us use their facilities so we thought it would be good to give back to them,” Elsen said.

In addition to events in the park, the nearby Bangor Rod and Gun Club will sponsor a 100-bird shoot for 12- to 18-year-olds. Sign up will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

During the evening, music — with a DJ and karaoke —will be provided from 6 until around 10 o’clock, when the fireworks are scheduled to start.

Track offers double dose of fireworks

West Salem skies will be lit up by two nights of fireworks this weekend, with both displays occurring after the action on the race track.

“On Friday night we’ll have the Smash-O-Rama with Monster Truck Mayhem, the 75-lap Enduro, Skidders and a rollover contest,” said Chuck Deery, general manager of the La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway in West Salem.

The fireworks return again on July 4 after the regular racing slate is finished. “We’re expecting a nice crowd for that night, too,” Deery said, “but there’s always room for more.”