Fourth of July, local summer events to put on your calendar

By Jay Ibarra

We have hit off the summer of 2016 with a calendar full of events to look forward to — take your pick when deciding how best to enjoy your months of freedom.

Whether you’re in Dekalb temporarily or for the entire summer, you’ll never be bored with these summer parties, festivals and movie events. Here are some events to mark on your calendar:

MVP’s Block Party

The ultimate summer party is happening Saturday at MVP’s Sports Bar in Sycamore. For this event, MVP’s blocks off California street around 3 p.m. to prepare for the block party. Live music will begin at 7 p.m., opened by Rock Barn Band and headlined by Back Country Roads. There will be a $5 cover charge and anyone under 21 can stay until 9 p.m. The bar is located at 124 S California St, Sycamore, IL.

4th of July

If you aren’t going away for the holiday, enjoy Kirkland’s 68th annual 4th of July weekend long celebration. The event will include live music, a beer tent, a parade, tractor show, magician, a car show, food, rides and fireworks. Live music will feature Destination Unknown, 7th Heaven, HiFi Superstar, Back Country Roads and many more. The event starts July 1 and ends July 4 — opening times vary each day. For more information, visit www.kirkland4thofjuly.com.

Summer concerts series

If you’re looking for live music, you don’t have to go any further than Sycamore. Sycamore puts on a summer concert from 7 p.m.- 9 p.m. on Thursdays and some Fridays in Sycamore Park. The event started early June and will go on until July 29. The live music will feature Soul 2 the Bone, Party Doctors, Swing Forward, Ragtops, White Saddle Band, dupage, Truman’s Ridge and Five Guys Named Moe. All of the musical groups vary from classic rock and jazz to hits from 90’s.

Movies in the Park

During the summertime, DeKalb County will host a series called “Movies in the Park,” where it will show flicks for the entire community for free on Friday evenings. The movies will begin at 8 p.m. and the nearest park is DeKalb’s Hopkins Park located at 104 Sycamore Road. The next upcoming movie is Avengers: Age of Ulton. The county rotates hosting a Friday film, but if you want to travel to another park to see the next film, dekalbcountyonline.com has the full schedule.