Rocket City July 4

Huntsville is doing it big for America's 250th Independence Day.

Why it matters: It's a special year for celebrating July 4, so here's how to make the most of it.

🎆 The main event

Festivities downtown kick off at 4pm with the opening of a vendor market with food trucks, historical reenactments, activities and a DJ in Big Spring Park.

• At 5pm, the American Eras Parade will begin at the Huntsville Madison County Veterans Memorial at 200 Monroe St. NW, where the city is erecting grandstand seating, per an announcement.

Zoom in: Guided by a trio of Grand Marshals of Huntsville mayors, including current Mayor Tommy Battle and former mayors Loretta Spencer and Steve Hettinger, all aboard Huntsville's historic 1927 Ahrens-Fox fire truck.

• The parade will showcase more than 250 years of American history, with themed eras like the Revolutionary War, the Roaring Twenties, World War II and the Space Race, all the way to a futuristic rendition of the Rocket City's innovation.

Just after 6pm, the party moves to Big Spring Park, where Jazz McKenzie will sing the National Anthem before live music including Groove and McKenzie with her 10-piece band.

🖼️ Coming Home

The Huntsville Museum of Art, which is offering free admission on July 4 from 10am-5pm in honor of Betsy and Peter Lowe, is kicking off a new exhibit on Independence Day: Coming Home.

• The exhibition "explores the layered and evolving meanings of home," through the work of three artists with big Huntsville ties: LeXander Bryant, John "Jahni" Moore and Toyin Ojih Odutola.
• "Coming Home explores a theme that is both deeply personal and universally understood," said Christopher Madkour, executive director of the museum, in a statement. "Visitors are invited to reflect on their own experiences of place, identity and belonging."

Yes, but: There's much more going on than that, including this week leading up to July 4 on Saturday.

• That includes performances and theater productions, the Freedom 5K at UAH, and a slate of events and fireworks at MidCity.
• See the full calendar of community events on the city's 250th site here.