There are a number of Independence Day events in the tri-county area today.

The Cory Dullum VFW Post 10010 will once again launch the rockets' red glare at about 10 p.m. The group's annual fireworks display will be set off from the Asarco slag pile in East Helena. Anyone who would like to make a donation for the fireworks display can drop off a check at the VFW Post at 113 Main St. in East Helena.

As fireworks are illegal inside Helena city limits, the East Helena display has become the biggest fireworks event in the immediate area.

Earlier in the day, the Big Sky TEA Party Association will host five hours of Independence Day events. The event includes music by Tongue and Groove, speeches by several World War II veterans, prizes and a "constitutional seminar" at Carroll College to cap off the day at 4 p.m. The events begin at 11 a.m. at Memorial Park. Speakers will include a local real-estate agent who will discuss eminent domain. An 18-year-old entrepreneur will discuss the challenges of running a small business. A third speaker from the NRA will talk about the Second Amendment.

The World War II vets, including Joe Upshaw, Joe Glass, Tim Babcock, Judge John Harrison and Ed Gilleran, who gave a rare D-Day map of Utah Beach to historian Stephen Ambrose to aid in his research.

The Independence Day celebration is the group's first on a large scale. The Big Sky TEA Party Association subscribes to limited government, personal responsibility, free markets and fiscal accountability in government.

The group made news in April by holding demonstrations to express concern over Washington spending, which members say has reached "alarming heights in record time."

Other events include:

- In Boulder, the annual Fourth of July celebration will begin at noon with a parade leaving Veterans Park and heading south on Main Street.

After the parade, Jefferson County Fairgrounds will be the site of such holiday fare as games, food and music until 4 p.m. The day will also see the the 50th anniversary of the Boulder River Carousel, which will operate during the celebration.

As the sun goes down, at approximately 10:30 p.m., the annual fireworks display will be fired off from Cap Hill.

- The holiday will also bring some unusual airplanes to the Townsend City-County Airport, along with an opportunity for young people to take a flight.

The Townsend Flight Festival starts with a breakfast at 8 a.m., and from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Young Eagle Flights will take kids 8 to 18 years old for a flight, provided they have parental permission slips.

The show will include floatplanes, antique planes, experimental craft, home built planes and light sports planes.

For more information on the show, call 266-5400.

- From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Townsend Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting an old-fashioned holiday potluck picnic at Heritage Fun Park.

Burgers, hot dogs, soft drinks and water will be on sale, and plates and silverware will be furnished. Pot luck recommendations are salads, desserts and silverware.

For more information, call 266-4101.