Happy Fourth of July

Activities taking place over the holiday weekend:

Lakeside Music and Arts Festival, Nelson Park. July 5 and 6. Spend the weekend along Lake Decatur, and enjoy art, music and culinary delights. Fireworks each night, including July 4.

Staley Firecracker Road Run/Walk, Nelson Park. 7:30 a.m. July 4. Celebrate the Fourth of July with this annual tradition. All ages invited to compete in a 4-mile or 8-mile run, or start the holiday off with a 2-mile walk. Call 429-3472.

Rodney T. Miller Lakeside Triathalon, Nelson Park. July 5 and 6. Competition for kids and adults. www.decaturtriathlon.com.

The Arts

Sculptor John McClarey will work his magic outside the Madden Arts Center during the First Friday Gallery Walk from 5 to 8 p.m. on July 11.

McClarey will be working on a clay replica of Abraham Lincoln and will share information about how he researches and creates his sculptures.

Inside the center, the Anne Lloyd Gallery will continue the display "Portraying Lincoln, Man of Many Faces." Celebrating Lincoln's 200th birthday, this national exhibit opens its tour in Decatur and features more than 50 works of art by renowned artists depicting Honest Abe in unique ways.

Next door at the Blue Connection, recent Millikin alum Lee Larkins uses traditional black and white photographic processes to evoke a soft poetic beauty from raw footage of Decatur. Larkins will talk about his work at 6:30 p.m.

Around the corner at Gallery 510, Barbara Dove will be displaying new work in oils. She will speak about her work at 5:45 and 7:15 pm, sharing how her "images develop from the strokes of the brush or knife in the thick creamy paint."

The drawings of Richland Community College art professor Gil Rocha will be on display at the Lincoln Square Theatre. Rocha will talk about his work at 5:45 and 7:15 p.m.

Don't worry if you can't make it to the walk. The displays at the downtown galleries will continue throughout the month.

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Also on display during the month:

Decatur Airport: The watercolors of Decatur artist Jessica Disbrow.

Decatur Public Library: Photography by Sullivan artist Carol Anderson are on display on the second floor.

More Lincoln

Portraits of Lincoln's Life, Macon County Historical Museum. Through July 31. Showcase of original paintings by local artists from the 1960s and '70s and prints depicting Lincoln's life. Call 422-4919.

"Abraham Lincoln in Song," 6 p.m., July 24, Madden Arts Center. Prairie poet-singer-songwriter weaves a historic narrative of Lincoln through his performance of folk songs at this free event.

On Stage

Best of Summer Stock, Decatur Civic Center. July 25 to 27. A musical review featuring area youth from grades one to eight singing, dancing and acting. Free preview at noon, July 18, in Central park.

Little Theatre-On the Square: "West Side Story," July 9 to 20; "GYPSY," July 23 to Aug. 3; "All Shook Up," Aug. 6 to 17. Go to www.thelittletheatre.org for more info.

Music

Decatur Park Singers: Local performances. For complete listings, go to www.decatur-parks.org. July 4th Fireworks, Nelson Park, 7 p.m.; 6:30 p.m. July 8, Monroe Park; 6 p.m. July 10, Children's Museum; 5:30 p.m. July 20, Scovill Zoo Ice Cream Safari; 6:30 p.m July 22, Sinawik Park.; 6 p.m. July 24, Kiwanis Park; 6:30 p.m. July 31, Cresthaven Park.

Blues in Central Park: July 17, Reverend Raven & His Chain Smoking Alter Boys.

Blue Grass Jams, Rock Springs Nature Center. Area musicians perform from 1 to 4 p.m. on the second Sunday of each month. Call 423-7708.

Decatur Municipal Band. Performance each Monday in Central Park and each Sunday in the Fairview Park Large Pavilion.

Sports

ASA Junior Olympics 10 to 12 State Fast Pitch Tournament, Rotary Park. July 3 to 6. Call 429-3472.

Team Soy Decatur Junior Open, Hickory Point and Scovill golf courses. July 7 and 8. Call 429-6243.

Caterpillar Night of NASCAR Stars III, July 30, Macon Speedway. For more, go to www.maconracing.com.

USTA/Ursula Beck Pro Tennis Classic, July 25-Aug. 3, Fairview Tennis Complex. In its 10th year, this event brings plays from more than 20 countries competing for ATP World Ranking Points and prize money.

For the family

Ice Cream Safari. July 20. Search for your favorite ice cream treats hidden throughout Scovill Zoo. Call 421-7435.

Cruisin' Downtown. July 10. Live music, street entertainment and, yes, lots of cars. 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Call 423-3475.

Kidstock, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., July 26, Children's Museum of Illinois. Enjoy this indoor arts fair and experience revealing cultures from around the world.

Charity events

Relay for Life of Macon County, Richland Community College. July 18. An overnight event to celebrate cancer survivors and to raise money for research and programs of the American Cancer Society.

Coming up

Decatur Celebration, Aug. 1 and 3, downtown. The 23rd edition of the free family street festival will include performances by the The Plain White T's; Otis Day and The Knights; Junior Walker's All Stars; Motown act The Contours ("Do You Love Me"); Decatur native Pauli Carman and his group Champaign ("How 'Bout Us"); Perfunctory, a Grateful Dead tribute act; the Robbie Seay Band; The Smithereens; The Bay City Rollers; Paul McCartney tribute act Band on the Run; and Christian performers Pledge. For more, visit www.decaturcelebration.com.

BOX:

For more details about events taking place around the area, go to:

n Decatur Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, www.experiencedeatur.com

n Decatur Area Arts Council, www.decaturarts.com

n Decatur Park District, www.decatur-parks.org

n Macon County Historical Museum and Prairie Village, www.mchsdecatur.org

n Rock Springs Nature Center, www.maconcountyconservation.org

n Herald & Review, www.herald-review.com