27 Fourth of July events around Arizona

There's nothing wrong with hanging out at Tempe Town Lake, in downtown Phoenix or at any of the other Fourth of July celebrations in the Valley.

However, to really capture the spirit of the holiday, it's hard to beat Arizona's small-town celebrations.

In the recent past, Flagstaff, Prescott and Bisbee each was ranked on lists of the best small towns in the country to experience the Fourth of July. Bisbee was named on two lists — ABC News and WeatherChannel.com — although Weather Channel called the town "Brisbee."

RELATED:27 Fourth of July celebrations around Phoenix

Hey, it's the thought that counts.

However you spell it, Bisbee is a quaint, artsy, funky former mining town that knows how to do the Fourth of July. If you're in the mood for a road trip, here are holiday celebrations around the state.

Bisbee

Community coaster race:

This tradition dates back more than 100 years. Kids 9 to 16 pilot some fairly sophisticated homemade cars down a twisting, 1½-mile descent of Tombstone Canyon Road. They approach speeds of 45 mph before reaching the finish in front of the post office.

The race began as a Thanksgiving event and moved to the Fourth in 1917, where it has remained other than during a gap from 1981 to 1992 after a car careened into spectators at the finish in 1980, killing two people.

The rules were changed, adult drivers eliminated, disc brakes added, weight limits applied, insurance policies purchased and the race was revived.

Details: 8 a.m. Saturday, July 4. 6 Main St. Free for spectators. bisbeecoasterrace.org.

Fourth of July parade: This one has a throw-back feel and winds through the historic Warren District.

Details: 11 a.m. Saturday, July 4. Vista Park, 100 Vista Road. Free.

Mining competition: Bisbee celebrates its rich mining history with hard-rock drilling and mucking competitions in the heart of Brewery Gulch. It's serious, too: Winners take home more than $1,000.

The drilling pays tribute to single-jack drilling in which a "cousin jack" uses a 4-pound hammer to pound a chisel-like "steel" into hard rock, giving the steel a 90-degree twist between each strike. Back in the day, black powder, and later dynamite, would be placed into the hole to blast the rock.

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There's even a statue of the original "Iron Man" in Bisbee, a strapping fellow holding a hammer and steel with a bit of swagger — or possibly a sore shoulder — captured by artist Raymond Philips Sanderson in 1935.

Once the rock crumbled from the blast, it had to be "mucked," or shoveled, into an ore car. In that competition, two-person teams (including a kids division using sand), muck 500 pounds of crushed rock into an ore car.

Details: 1 p.m. Saturday, July 4. Brewery Gulch, 5 Copper Queen Plaza. Free.

Fireworks go boom: Fireworks are the grand finale of any great Independence Day celebration. But keep in mind that weather and other factors may result in a time change or even cancellation of the show.

Details: 8 p.m. Saturday, July 4. Vista Park, 100 Vista Road. Free. discoverbisbee.com.

Flagstaff

Last year, Travel + Leisure magazine asked readers to name their favorite town for celebrating Independence Day. Flagstaff finished first in the poll.

Arts activities: During the First Friday ArtWalk, downtown galleries and businesses welcome visitors with exhibitions, performances and live music. During the day, browse the offerings at Art in the Park, a three-day juried show with food vendors and live entertainment.

Details: ArtWalk, 6-9 p.m. Friday, July 3. Free. flagartscouncil.org/artwalk. Art in the Park, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, July 3-4; 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, July 5. Wheeler Park, 212 W. Aspen Ave. Free. flagstaffartinthepark.com.

Downtown Mile: The celebration begins early in the morning at Heritage Square as four waves of runners see how fast they can cover a mile on a portion of the parade route. Even if they're really slow, they have two hours before being overtaken by a parade float.

Details: 7 a.m. Saturday, July 4. Heritage Square, 111 W. Birch Ave. $30. teamrunflagstaff.com.

Parade: More than 100 floats and bands will commemorate the occasion. The parade does a lap around downtown, using Beaver and San Francisco streets and Elm and Aspen avenues. A hot-dog-eating contest will follow at Pay 'N Take, 12 W. Aspen Ave.

Details: 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, July 4. Free. flagstaffchamber.com/chamber_4th_parade.

Hopi Festival of Arts and Culture: A Fourth of July tradition since the 1930s, the festival will feature more than 65 artists from Hopi villages in northern Arizona. Artists will present their work in jewelry, kachina carving, pottery, paintings, woodworking, baskets and textiles. The event also includes cultural presentations, storytelling, music and dances. Visitors can taste Hopi bread and piki baked in outdoor ovens. Hopi potters will shape, paint and fire clay. You can also walk the museum's Rio de Flag Nature Trail with a Hopi medicine woman and learn about Hopi clans and migrations.

Details: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, July 4-5. Museum of Northern Arizona, 3101 N. Fort Valley Road. $8-$12. musnaz.org.

Fireworks: See the rockets' red glare and bombs bursting in air at Jake's on the Green at Continental Country Club east of downtown. There will be a food court and a wine-and-beer garden. Gates open at 4 p.m.; fireworks go off at about 9. Arrive early to spread the blanket in a choice spot.

Details: 9 p.m. Saturday, July 4. 2380 N. Oakmont Drive. Free admission; $10 to park. flagstaffarizona.org/fourth.

Prescott

Yahoo.com named Prescott one of the top seven small towns in the country for celebrating the Fourth, and why not? Hosting the World's Oldest Rodeo is reason enough. (Of course, Payson lays claim to the World's Oldest Continuous Rodeo. Can't we all just get along?)

Frontier Days Rodeo: It started in 1888 and includes bareback riding, steer wrestling, barrel racing and "Xtreme Bronc Riding" in eight rodeo sessions.

Details: 7:30 p.m. June 29-July 4. Also, 1:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, July 4-5. Prescott Rodeo Grounds, 840 Rodeo Drive. $12-$25.

Parade: The Kiwanis Kiddy Parade gets things rolling at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, July 4, along Cortez and Goodwin streets downtown. The grownup parade with horses, rodeo queens, clowns and floats winds down Cortez and Montezuma streets at 9 a.m.

Rodeo dances: You can kick up your heels from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Thursday-Saturday, July 2-4, in the parking lot of Prescott Towne Center, 1365 Iron Springs Road. $5.

Details:worldsoldestrodeo.com.

Prescott Rodeo Days Fine Arts and Crafts Show: More than 150 artists from around the Southwest. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday-Monday, July 4-6. Free.

Details:prescottdowntown.com.

July 4 Celebration: Noon-10 p.m. Saturday, July 4. A carnival, live music and pyrotechnics at dusk. Pioneer Park, 1200 Commerce Drive. Free admission. A $15 wrist band covers unlimited rides, games and crafts.

Details:cityofprescott.net.

Payson

Hometown Weekend Celebration: Live music, games, lots of food vendors and more at scenic Green Valley Park's grass amphitheater, 1000 W. Country Club Drive. The event runs from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., starting with a patriotic ceremony honoring veterans. Sack races and other games for kids begin at 10 a.m. The Take Cover Band will play from 4 p.m.-9 p.m., when the fireworks are to begin. Buses shuttle patrons from Payson High School (Longhorn Drive and McLane Road) to the park beginning at 5:30 p.m. Arrive early. This show often packs in 20,000 people. Free admission.

Farmers market: Farmers and members of Payson's Community Garden will sell produce, treats and crafts from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, July 4, in the parking lot at Sawmill Theatres, 201 W. Main St.

Details:paysonrimcountry.com.

Alpine

Bisbee has the coaster race. Alpine has its own traditional race — worms. That alone might be worth the trip.

Independence Day celebration: Events begin at 10 a.m. Friday, July 3, with the first day of the two-day Alpine Area Artisans Display and Sale on Main Street. The parade is at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 4. Free.

Craft Fair: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Alpine Community Center. Free.

Worm Race: Gather 'round at Ye Olde Tavern, at the junction of U.S. 191 and U.S. 180, to see the worms setae the line — worms propel themselves with those bristlelike structures, not feet. Free unless you're wagering.

Fireworks: Start about 8:30 p.m. at the Alpine Rodeo Grounds, a mile south of Alpine on County Road 2311. Free.

Details:alpinearizona.com.

Fort Apache Reservation

Sunrise Park Resort: Events include an archery competition, laser-light show, live music and scenic chairlift rides. The 3-D Archery Shootout will take place July 3-5 at various locations around the resort. About 2,000 archers from around the country will participate in contests. There also will be a family course where shooters can aim at balloons and other fun targets. The resort's mountain-bike trails will be closed during the shootout. On Independence Day, a 30- to 45-minute laser-light show will begin just after sunset, followed by live music.

Details: About 28 miles east of Pinetop-Lakeside on State Route 273. $10 per vehicle; $5 for tribal members. sunriseskiparkaz.com.

Show Low

Deuces Wild Rodeo: A rodeo-queen contest, kids events and then cowboys and cowgirls compete in seven riding and roping events. 7 p.m. Friday, July 3. White Mountain Vacation Village Arena, 4101 S. White Mountain Road. $10; $5 for ages 5 through 13.

FreedomFest: Events get started at 9 a.m. Saturday, July 4, with a parade down the city's main street, Deuce of Clubs. At 3 p.m., there will be music, games and food at Show Low High School, 500 W. Old Linden Road. Fireworks begin at about 9 p.m. All events are free.

Details:showlowaz.gov.

Springerville-Eagar

Parade: These neighboring White Mountains communities join forces with a parade at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 4, that begins on Main Street in Eagar and travels to Springerville. Free.

Round Valley Rodeo: Starts at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, July 4. The rodeo grounds are at the junction of State Route 260 and U.S. 180/191. $10; $5 for ages 13-17. Kids younger than 12 get in free with an adult.

Rodeo Dances: Starts at 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, July 3-4, at the rodeo grounds. Crossfire will perform both nights. Admission is $5. Fireworks are planned for 8:30 p.m. at Springerville Airport. They're visible from anywhere in the two towns — and well beyond.

Details:sechamber.com.

Lake Havasu City

Freedom Festival: Slip into a swimsuit or board shorts and celebrate Independence Day on the shores of the Colorado River. 4 p.m.-10 p.m. Saturday, July 4, at Rotary Park, 1400 Smoketree Ave. Free.

The park is the center of action with a free beach and swimming area. Barbecue, pie- and watermelon-eating contests, a beer garden and food vendors await. Live music precedes the fireworks display over Thompson Bay, which begins about half an hour after sunset. Some will watch the show from boats, and others from Nautical Beachfront Resort, where guests can take advantage of the kids water park.

Details:golakehavasu.com.