Here�s a sampling of what�s in store for visitors during the holiday weekend.

• Saturday, July 3rd: Pleasure Island�s 4th Of July Street Dance & Fireworks Display. Kick off the holiday a day early on Saturday, July 3rd at Carolina Beach with a free concert at the Boardwalk Gazebo on Cape Fear Blvd. beginning at 7:00pm. Dazzling fireworks follow at 9:30pm, lighting up the sky over the ocean and boardwalk. This annual event is sponsored by the Pleasure Island Merchants Association. Make a day of your visit to Pleasure Island and explore its many treasures. See the rare Venus Flytrap at Carolina Beach State Park; enjoy a kayak or canoe nature adventure; play all day at Jubilee Amusement Park; see sharks and marine life at the N. C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher and get into the patriotic spirit with a guided tour of Fort Fisher State Historic Site. For details on Saturday�s fireworks display at Carolina Beach, please call the Pleasure Island Merchants Association at (910) 200-3288

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• Sunday, July 4th: Battleship Blast: 4th of July Celebration and Fireworks. This patriotic celebration along the Cape Fear riverfront begins at 3:00pm and lasts until 9:30pm. This year�s Fourth of July live musical entertainment includes: Youth Orchestra (3:00-4:00pm), Jazz Patriots (5:00-6:00pm), Minutemen (6:00-7:00pm) and the 440th Army Band (7:00-9:00pm). Concerts take place at Riverfront Park in front of the Federal Courthouse on Water Street between Market and Princess streets. At approximately 9:05pm, performances are followed by the 8th Annual Battleship Blast, a dazzling and memorable fireworks display by an award-winning pyrotechnics company that illuminates the night sky over the Battleship and the Cape Fear River. Eagle Island will close to the public at 6:00pm, so be sure to tour the Battleship early and then head downtown with lounge chairs and a radio to view the fireworks. Radios tuned in to WGNI 102.7 FM during the fireworks will feature Pyro Show�s choreographed music simulcast. WECT TV-6 will broadcast the Battleship Blast live from 9:00pm-9:30pm. This free public event is presented by the City of Wilmington, WECT TV-6, Wilmington Downtown, Inc. and the Battleship North Carolina, along with Cumulus Broadcasting. A word to the wise: Find a downtown parking space early (many parking decks offer free parking on weekends) and explore Historic Wilmington�s attractions, tours, bed-and-breakfast inns, and 200 distinctive shops/restaurants. For details about entertainment and parking, call (910) 341-7855; for details about the Battleship Blast, call (910) 251-5797

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• Independence Day Service. A July 4 memorial service beginning at 11:00am will feature patriotic music and a short patriotic address at the Wilmington National Cemetery (2011 Market St., Wilmington). (910) 763-3702

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• 4th Of July Cruise. Board the Henrietta III riverboat for a 4th of July cruise from 6:30pm-9:30pm. Enjoy a buffet dinner and a great view of the Battleship Blast fireworks. Pre-paid reservations required. Boarding begins at 6:00pm; departs at 6:30pm from the dock at the Hilton Wilmington Riverside. (800) 676-0162 or (910) 343-1611