Independence Day activities in Vicksburg will kick off Friday night and culminate Saturday with the city’s annual downtown riverfront fireworks show.

If you go

Independence Day events in Vicksburg begin at 7 p.m. Friday with a free performance by The Brett Family of Branson, Mo., at First Baptist Church. Donations will be accepted. On Saturday night, at 7:30, festivities downtown, near the old Levee Street Depot, will kick off with a show by Greenville band The Krackerjacks. A fireworks show will follow at dusk. For information, call 601-636-9421.

At 7 Friday night, The Brett Family of Branson, Mo., will perform a musical variety show at First Baptist Church. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted. The show is sponsored by Four Seasons of the Arts, a local cultural organization.

“The Brett Family is part of the city’s extended Fourth of July events,” said Frances Koury, Four Seasons organizer.

Saturday night’s festivities are also free and will begin at 7:30 with a performance by The Krackerjacks, a band from Greenville, followed by fireworks at dusk, about 9. The band, which will be set up on a stage on Levee Street in front of the old train depot, plays “feel-good, party music,” said bass player and singer Charlie Ross, “from Motown to rock.”

An American Tradition: Fireworks and Krackerjacks is this year’s theme for the city’s Fourth of July festivities, which have been running for about “six to seven years,” said Barry Graham, city communications manager.

“Fireworks are set up on a barge anchored on the Louisiana side of the Yazoo (Diversion Canal) behind the old (Levee Street) train depot,” said Graham.

Saturday night’s festivities cost around $30,000, Graham said, and were funded by the City of Vicksburg, local casinos and others.

“When we started out, we had the (Mississippi) symphony and Beatles and Beach Boys tribute bands, but this year we wanted to get a more local band,” said Graham.

Lawn chairs and blankets are allowed. The Art Park at Catfish Row, an area geared toward children, will also be open Saturday night. For information, call 601-636-9421.

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Contact Matthew Breazeale at mbreazeale@vicksburgpost.com