The events displayed on this webpage are for informational purposes only. The mere listing of any event on this webpage does not constitute an endorsement by the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.
MCHR Diversity Spotlight – July 2022
All People/Freedom (July 4th)
Celebrate freedom with your fellow Missourians at events held throughout the state this July:
Western Missouri
- KC Riverfest and the National WWI Museum and Memorial are joining forces this year for the Stars and Stripes Picnic. Celebrate our nation’s independence and listen to live music, shop with local vendors, and enjoy fireworks over the Memorial. This special event takes place on July 2, 2022, at 3 p.m. on the WWI Museum and Memorial grounds. For more information or to view a schedule for the event, please visit online.
- The Kansas City Air Show returns to the Heart of America on July 3 and 4. Featuring the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, arguably the world’s most famous performance jet team, this two-day event will feature world-class aerobatic performances, military jet demonstrations, and thrilling entertainment for the whole family. The Kansas City Air Show will be hosted at New Century AirCenter. Tickets are available at www.kcairshow.org.
Central Missouri
- Jefferson City’s annual 4th of July celebration, Salute to America, is not one to be missed. Featuring the largest fireworks display in Central Missouri, this event fills the Jefferson City downtown festival district with carnival rides, a massive parade, concerts, beer gardens, car shows, and more. This event will be open to the public July 3 and 4. For more information or to view a schedule of events, please visit online.
- The City of Columbia’s 67th Annual Fourth of July celebration, Fourth of July Fire in the Sky, takes place beginning at 6 p.m. Presented by Columbia Insurance Group and Veterans United Home Loans, this special event features of variety of activities, entertainment, and a fireworks display. For more information, to view a schedule of events, or to view tips on having an enjoyable and safe event, please visit online.
Eastern Missouri
- Fair Saint Louis is an event produced by St. Louisans for St. Louisans and their guests celebrating our nation’s independence each July 4. The Fair typically hosts hundreds of thousands of attendees listening to fantastic music, playing in the Festival Zone, checking out new products in the Interactive Zone, and of course, being “wowed” by the nationally recognized fireworks displays each evening – all for free. Please visit online for a schedule of events. For general inquiries or vendor opportunities, please contact the Fair St. Louis Foundation at 314-434-3434 or info@fairsaintlouis.org.
- Webster Groves Community Days is an annual event to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday. This year, there are various events from July 1 through July 4. The Citizen’s Committee for Community Days organizes all of the activities for the event. The Webster Groves Lions Club also holds its annual carnival and barbecue charity fundraiser during the celebration. All activities (aside from the carnival and barbecue) are free and funded through donations from businesses, organizations, and the citizens of Webster Groves. Please visit online or call 314-963-5600 for more information.
- Join us in Marshfield on Monday, July 4, at 10 a.m. for the 143rd Annual Independence Day Parade. This celebration began in 1879 and remains the oldest, continuous annual celebration west of the Mississippi River. The earliest celebrations were composed largely of local families traveling by foot, horseback, and wagons to a large grove north of town to enjoy the day with friends and neighbors. Although many years have passed, family, friends, and neighbors still travel to Marshfield to enjoy this Independence Day celebration, eat a corn dog or sandwich from one of the many food vendors, and have an ice-cold lemonade or soda pop, similar to those early celebrations.
Lucile Bluford Day
Lucile Bluford Day is celebrated across Missouri on July 1, per a 2016 measure signed into law that encourages residents to "appropriately observe the day in honor of Lucile Bluford, a journalist and civil rights activist who successfully sued to end segregation in the University of Missouri journalism program and whose long and distinguished career at The Kansas City Call contributed to it becoming one of the largest and most important Black newspapers in the nation.”
- A former television reporter, anchor, news director, and documentary producer who founded and heads the Washington, D.C.-based SRB Communications, Sheila Brooks, has authored a book: Lucile H. Bluford and the Kansas City Call: Activist for Social Justice, which recounts Bluford’s fight for admission into the University of Missouri’s graduate journalism program and assesses her dual role as a journalist and advocate for the women’s and civil rights movements.