Loads of fun this weekend in Akron Ohio. Here is a list of events for the weekend, including one of the best Fireworks displays anywhere. Usually lasts almost a half hour. Gorgeous fireworks with synchronized music and tons of food. Always a blast in Akron Ohio....... Here is a small sample of last years celebration………………

• The Rib, White & Blue Food Festival kicks off activities on South Main Street in Downtown Akron July 2. The three-day festival will feature a record number of barbecue vendors from around the country - including Texas, Tennessee and South Carolina - as well as music, inflatable’s and rides. The Magical Train also will be available for rides along the canal.

The festival will be open with free admission July 2-3 from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Musical entertainment at Lock 3 Park July 2 will begin at 7 p.m. with Cletus Black, followed by The Machine, America's Premier Pink Floyd Experience. On July 3, The Juke Hounds and Satisfaction, a Rolling Stones Experience, will perform, beginning at 7 p.m.

The festival will open July 4 at 11 a.m. with free admission. After 1 p.m., admission is $5. Taking the stage will be The University of Akron Steel Drum Band at 2:30 p.m. and Mo' Mojo at 4:30 p.m. Headlining will be the Rebirth Brass Band at 7:30 p.m. The national touring act is based in New Orleans and has been a staple on the music scene there for 25 years.

• Also on July 4, on the Martin Luther King Jr. Freeway, the Akron Recreation Bureau will host Twist & the Classic All Star Revue at 8 p.m., followed by Akron's annual fireworks display at 9:45 p.m. Fireworks will be synchronized to patriotic music provided by WKDD 98.1 FM. The rain date for this event is July 5.

The celebration continues in Akron July 5 at Lock 3 with a free performance by the Akron Symphony Orchestra (ASO). Gates will open at 6 p.m., followed by music at 7:30. Akron trumpet player Jack Schantz will join with the ASO on several numbers, including a premiere of a "Porgy and Bess" medley. The ASO, to be conducted by Christopher Wilkins, also will play selections from the Cole Porter, Duke Ellington and Harold Arlen songbooks. Gospel Meets Symphony singers will be on hand with a couple of favorites from past Gospel concerts and ASO officials promise a surprise ending. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets.