Picnic, fireworks on July 4 in Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE - Moses Lake will celebrate the nation's birthday with an all-town barbecue, live music and fireworks in McCosh Park. The event is free and open to the public.

The concert series is sponsored by the City of Moses Lake, and "we've been sponsoring it for decades now," said Spencer Grigg, parks and recreation director. Grigg said he's been employed by the city for 22 years and the city had already been sponsoring it when he started working there.

The community barbecue will be at 5 p.m. "We're going to feed the whole community if they want to come down," Grigg said. "Last year I think we had about 2,000 people when all was said and done."

Live music begins at 6 p.m.; Dime Store Prophets, Moses Lake, is the opening act. Its repertoire features original rock. A short patriotic presentation is scheduled for 8 p.m.

The High Street Band, a swing/big band from Boise, Idaho, will take the stage after the patriotic presentation. "They do some fun music," Grigg said, focusing on the good old stuff from the 1940s through the 1980s, and putting a swing spin on tunes from the 1990s and 2000s. "Bold and brassy," Grigg said.

High Street will play until the fireworks begin at dusk, about 10 to 10:15 p.m. The city pays for the show, approximately $16,000, Grigg said; it's presented by Western Display from western Oregon. The cost of the concert series is paid by sponsors and hotel/motel tax generated through the hospitality industry, he said.

"Should be a good time," Grigg said.