If you don’t have plans for Independence Day, you might want to stick around DeKalb for the holiday weekend.

“We have planned an old-fashioned Fourth of July for the residents of DeKalb,” said Gloria Oesterling, program director for the DeKalb Park District. “It will be a relaxing day to sit with your family and enjoy music, special events and fireworks,” Oesterling said.

Independence Day events will begin Thursday at 3 p.m. in Hopkins Park, 1403 Sycamore Rd. There will be food booths, a petting zoo, face painting and pony rides for children. At 4 p.m. games will begin, including a sumo wrestling competition.

Also, magician Eddie Raymond will entertain DeKalb residents.

Jim Gill of the Jazz Machines and Jumping Beans band will perform and the DeKalb Municipal Band will finish up the night.

“The music that we will be playing will be typical Fourth of July music,” said Dee Palmer, director of the DeKalb Municipal Band. “In addition, a portion of our performance will be a patriotic salute to our servicemen and (service)women,” Palmer said.

The patriotic portion of the concert will feature narration by Ed Diedrich, Dalia Bach, and representatives of DeKalb’s veterans’s organizations.

“There will be members from the American Legion Post 66, the DeKalb Veterans of Foreign Wars, and VietNow,” he said.

The celebration will conclude with a fireworks display at dusk.