Free fireworks shows once again will cap off a couple of Independence Day celebrations in Jackson County.

First up is the third annual Medora Freedom Celebration on Saturday at the Medora Town Park, 119 W. First St.

Then on July 4, the Seymour Parks and Recreation Department’s annual Fourth of July celebration will take place at the Freeman Field Recreational Complex, 2476 N. State Road 11.

The first event is hosted by Medora Pentecostal Church with the help of area sponsors. Festivities start at 2 p.m. and end with fireworks at dark.

There will be food trucks and vendors. Live entertainment by Medora Pentecostal Church, a Touch-a-Truck display and a car show all will be free.

At 5 p.m., there will be a military tribute for all military personnel, both active and veteran.

“MPC invites anyone who has served in the military to be present,” said Faythe Gill, one of the event organizers. “Several food trucks are offering a discount to any member of the military.”

From 6 to 8 p.m., Kids Zone will be open with free games, including egg relays, beanbag toss, sack race and a water gun game. There also will be free concessions.

Straight Shooters Fireworks will provide fireworks at sundown.

Parking will be available at the old plastics factory parking lot on the edge of town and also at Medora Pentecostal Church one block from the park. This is a family-oriented event, so no alcoholic beverages are permitted.

In the event of rain, the celebration will take place July 8.

“It certainly has grown. Year 1, we had an estimated 600 people in attendance. Last year’s attendance was approximately 2,000,” Gill said. “We’re excited about this year’s event. It’s going to be a great event. We hope you will join us.”

For Seymour’s event, the parks department is joined in sponsorship by Jackson County Dental and 92.7 Nash Icon WXKU.

The first activity will be the Fourth of July Blind Draw Bash cornhole tournament hosted by CLC Cornhole. The cost is $10 per player, and registration will start at 2 p.m. People can preregister through the Scoreholio app on their phone.

From 7 p.m. to dark, the Fabulous Hickbillys will perform a free concert. They were last part of the event in 2021.

“They were well-received. We received great feedback,” Parks Director Stacy Findley said. “Also, as far as managing the sound equipment, they do a great job of that because it is such a large venue.”

Concessions and food trucks also will be onsite for people to make food and drink purchases. People may bring lawn chairs or blankets to enjoy the festivities.

Pyrotecnico Fireworks Displays will present the fireworks display at 10 p.m. Along with the parks department’s annual Fourth of July event, that company did the fireworks at the end of Christmas at Crossroads in December 2022.

“Every year, I am amazed at how great our show is and then also how they time the fireworks with the music. I think it goes together really nicely,” Findley said.

The music will be provided by 92.7, which also will do a live remote at the event for the second year in a row.

“In comparison to some of the other fireworks shows that I’ve seen, it feels just like a long show, but everything is so very intentional and it’s exactly the right amount of time,” Findley said. “It’s not too long. It’s not too short. The whole amount just feels really special.”

A bonus to this year’s event is the expansion of the parking lot. Findley said the paving was completed at the end of last week, and parking lines will be done by Tuesday.

“We went from 200 parking places to 400 parking places,” she said. “Hopefully, the addition of the parking spaces really helps and that will give people more of an incentive to show up early and hang out.”

The playground and shelter house were removed to make way for the expanded parking, and Findley said the playground has yet to be installed.

“By next summer, we should have that,” she said.

Freeman Municipal Airport also will be open for parking.

“Once again, we’re super excited about this event,” Findley said. “I’m excited that Seymour Parks and Recreation once again is able to host this for the community. It’s definitely a highlight of our department, and it’s something we look forward to every year.”