Get into the spirit July 4 with parade, duck race, road run

Get in to the spirit of summer in Bridgton with the town’s Fourth of July celebrations, starting with the 45th annual 4 on the Fourth road race that will be in person this year.

Around 1,200 runners have already registered for the race, which starts at 8 a.m. next to Food City on South Main Street. Police will close roads as necessary from 8 a.m. so drivers passing through town should expect delays and/or detours until around 10 a.m. All are encouraged to line the route and cheer on the runners.

Don’t forget to buy your ducks for the Rotary Club’s Great Bridgton Duck Race at 11:30 a.m. Tickets are $5 each or five for $20, available at the Stevens Brook race site, by contacting a Rotarian or at lakeregionrotary.com. Proceeds benefit Rotary Club programs.

Stick around after the race to watch the Fourth of July parade, sponsored by the Bridgton Lions Club. Participants line up at Hancock Lumber (Route 302 across from Hannaford) at 10 a.m. for judging of the floats at 11 a.m. The parade starts at noon and goes down 302 to the traffic lights on Pondicherry Square and then turns onto Main Street and heads up to Main Hill. It’s a classic small town parade complete with fire engines and local character – definitely not to be missed.

LELT trail run

Loon Echo Land Trust is hosting a trail run in the Raymond Community Forest starting at 8 a.m. Sunday, July 11. Join running coaches Acadia Gantz and Kelton Cullenberg as they lead the run and offer tips for running trails safely. This is a free event and all are welcome, but registration is required at loonecholandtrust.org.

Book sale

The Friends of the Bridgton Library will hold its annual book sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, July 11. in the Book Shed at the rear of the library parking lot. Everyone is invited to come peruse the wide range of gently used books for sale. There will be something for everyone, including fiction and nonfiction, children’s books, cookbooks and art books. Proceeds from the sale support the library’s many activities and programs.

Curious art activities

A series of unique children’s activities will be offered Wednesdays through Aug. 4 at the Rufus Porter Museum, 121 Main St. Families are welcome to come by the museum during open hours (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) to participate in free, Rufus Porter-themed creative activities such as making silhouette portraits, writing with invisible ink and painting landscapes with stencils. Activities are aimed at grades K-6 but everyone is welcome and encouraged to take part. For more information, go to rufusportermuseum.org.

Perri Black may be contacted at perrilb@gmail.com.

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