Fourth of July programs offered at historical sites, museums

Event: Independence Day Celebration

Time: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Fee: $11 adults, $9 seniors and college students, $6 children ages 6-17; free for children age 5 and under and MHS members

Enjoy Independence Day as it might have been in the 1800s. Hear the roar of cannon salutes, listen to rousing patriotic speeches, watch a play by the fort’s soldiers, witness a military dress parade, hear patriotic and military fife and drum music, and try your hand at historic games.

Minnesota History Center, St. Paul

Event: Gettysburg/Vicksburg Anniversary Family Day

Time: Noon to 4 p.m.

Fee: $11 adults, $9 seniors and college students, $6 children ages 6-17; free for children age 5 and under and MHS members.

Come out for a salute to the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg and the fall of Vicksburg. Celebrate July 4 with an afternoon of activities: meet General Ulysses S. Grant, dance to the music of the New Pearl Buttons, make a Union photo case to take home, muster with the First Minnesota, plus watch an 1860s fashion showcase and hear about the legacy of Gettysburg/Vicksburg with a talk by MHS curator Adam Scher. Also, enjoy an ice cream social. Bring your own picnic or purchase food at Café Minnesota’s terrace grill.

Inside the museum, explore current exhibits including Minnesota and the Civil War, the U.S. Dakota War of 1862 and Then Now Wow.

This program is part of a four-day salute to the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg and the fall of Vicksburg. Activities will take place at the Minnesota History Center, Minnesota State Capitol and the James J. Hill House. In addition to the Family Day, programs include costumed re-enactors, a tribute to fallen soldiers, a special Civil War themed 9 Nights of Music, lectures and tours.

For more information visit www.minnesotahistorycenter.org/civilwarevents.

Event: History HiJinx: Paul and Babe On-a-Stick Puppets

Time: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Fee: $11 adults, $9 seniors and college students, $6 children ages 6-17; free for children age 5 and under and MHS members.

Stop by the History HiJinx table to create your own Paul and Babe On-a-Stick Puppets. Cut, color and create your own mythic Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox puppets and learn surprising trivia about these Minnesota folk heroes. Free with admission. This program continues Tuesdays through Fridays during the summer.

Minnesota State Capitol, St. Paul

Event: Capitol Civil War Tour

Time: 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. (Plus, special holiday hours, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.)

Fee: $9 adults, $8 seniors and college students, $6 children ages 6-17, $2 discount for MHS members

Reservations are required and can be made online.

Discover Minnesota’s role in the Civil War and commemorate the anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg with a Capitol Civil War Tour. Explore Civil War artifacts, paintings and memorials, including recently conserved Civil War battle flags and statues of famous officers from the state. In each tour, a visitor will be dressed and outfitted as a new recruit with reproduction accoutrements typically worn by Union soldiers. A reproduction cavalry shell jacket worn by Gov. Knute Nelson as a young soldier will be on display. Nelson was one of six state governors who saw action in the Civil War.

The State Capitol is open this July 4 with special holiday hours, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hourly tours are available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Mill City Museum, Minneapolis

Event: Mill City Fourth of July

Time: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; fireworks at 10 p.m.

Fee: $11 adults, $9 seniors and college students, $6 children ages 6-17, free for MHS members. $35/$30 MHS members for fireworks tickets package.

Reservations are required for the fireworks ticket page, call 612-341-7555

Visit Mill City Museum on July 4th from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., then head outside for family fun and entertainment with the Minneapolis Riverfront 2013 Red White and Boom celebration. A limited number of tickets will be available to view the fireworks display from the museum’s Observation Deck. Tickets cost $35/$30 for MHS members and include museum admission from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Entrance to the Observation Deck begins at 9:30 p.m. fireworks begin at 10 p.m. Tickets must be purchased in advance.

Oliver H. Kelley Farm, Elk River

Event: Farmer’s Fourth of July

Time: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Fee: $9 adults, $7 seniors and college students, $6 children ages 6-17; free for children age 5 and under and MHS members.

Celebrate the Farmer’s Fourth of July at the Kelley Farm. Bring a picnic lunch to enjoy on the lawn, watch the spring lambs prance about and take a horse-drawn trolley ride along the nature trail. Visitors can also join in 19th-century games and contests including townball, the precursor to modern baseball. Enjoy the company of family and friends along with the farm’s costumed staff and celebrate the most important holiday in America in the 19th century.

Historic Forestville, Preston

Event: 1899 Independence Day Celebration

Time: Noon to 4 p.m.

Fee: $7 adults, $6 seniors and college students, $5 children age 6 to 17; $1 discount for MHS members. State park vehicle permit required.

At Historic Forestville experience an 1899 Independence Day Celebration. Take part in a grand ceremony, listen to political speeches including a reading of the Declaration of Independence at 1 p.m. and watch an old time 1860s baseball game. Guests can enjoy pie and watermelon eating contests with three-legged races for the kids.

Baseball fans can also enjoy a game of townball, the precursor to modern baseball, at the Oliver H. Kelley Farm. The Farmer’s Fourth of July includes other popular 19th-century games and horse-drawn trolley rides. Bring a picnic lunch and enjoy Independence Day on the lawn.

The Minnesota Historical Society is a non-profit educational and cultural institution established in 1849. The Society collects, preserves and tells the story of Minnesota’s past through museum exhibits, libraries and collections, historic sites, educational programs and book publishing. Using the power of history to transform lives, the Society preserves our past, shares our state’s stories and connects people with history.