We the People of the United States ... promise to throw America the best birthday bash ever. Here’s your one-stop source for the Fourth of July weekend:

What’s happening

• The U.S. Air Force’s Heartland of America Band will perform patriotic tunes in a free concert at 7 p.m. Friday at Krug Park. The 45-piece band will be joined by 18 members of the Missouri Air National Guard Band. Bring your lawnchairs, blankets and finest red, white and blue attire.
• The St. Joseph Music Foundation will present its second annual Freedom Fest from 1 to 9 p.m. Saturday at Coleman Hawkins Park in Felix Street Square. The lineup consists of Britt Small, Richelle, Marcus Words, Standing on Nines, King Kenna, Stained Glass Twilight, Blackout and 101 in the Shade. Because nothing says America like rock music ... except maybe baseball. Read on.
• The St. Joseph Mustangs will honor those who serve our country this weekend. Friday is Military Appreciation Night, with free admission for active military members and veterans. Sunday is Salute to Heroes Night, with fire, police, EMT and military personnel admitted free. All games begin at 7 p.m. at Phil Welch Stadium, and fireworks will follow the games Saturday and Sunday. Start loosening up those vocal cords for plenty of “oohs” and “ahhs” and perhaps some “USA” chants.

• St. Joseph’s big fireworks extravaganza will be set off by Aerial FX from Wyeth Hill at dusk (about 9:40 p.m.). Terrible’s St. Jo Frontier Casino will host a Fourth of July party from 6 to 10 p.m., with Rev’d Up playing indoors and Exit 47 rocking the parking lot. Spectators also can grab a good seat for the show at Heritage Park Softball Complex beginning at 7 p.m., with The Motors playing at 8. The Remington Nature Center of St. Joseph parking lot offers a nice vantage point, too. Each location will provide various concessions and restrooms. Good tunes, good grub and explosions. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Related story: Fourth fun

The forecast

Friday: A beautiful, mostly sunny day. Temperatures and humidity climb a little more. High: 86, Low:63.

Saturday: Partly cloudy, warm and humid. Rain could creep in late. High: 87, Low: 66

Sunday: Cloudy, with a 60 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. High: 84, Low: 70

Stay safe

A few tips from the National Council on Fireworks Safety:

• Use common sense. Don't light fireworks inside, near buildings or near spectators.
• If you live in an area where shooting fireworks is illegal, obey the law. Find somewhere legal to shoot them.
• Have a hose or bucket of water nearby.
• Don't try to create your own fireworks by altering or combining them. Use them as they were intended.
• Never attempt to relight a "dud." Wait 20 minutes and then soak it in a bucket of water.
• Don't mix alcohol and fireworks. Designate a shooter.
• If there are children nearby, watch them closely. Don't let children under 12 handle sparklers of any kind.
• Don't use homemade fireworks or illegal explosives. Report them to your police or fire department.

Cool clicks

• You can’t stand bugs, it’s too hot to breathe and the stand down the road ran out of fireworks. Now what? Just put this record-setting fireworks display on repeat in your living room.
• History.com presents your high school American history book covered in three and a half minutes ... but without the highlighted answers. Sorry.
• Step away from the big-box bakery. Try these patriotic recipes from tasteofhome.com instead.
• And while your goodies are baking/cooling, take a crack at one or more of these easy craft projects from Kaboose.

On the tube

• Bet you can’t say “hot dog” faster than these guys can devour them. American Joey Chestnut goes for his fourth consecutive title in the 95th annual Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island, N.Y., at 11 a.m. Sunday on ESPN (Cable Vision Channel 13). Pass the Tums.
• Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum and a cavalcade of other stars kick some alien-invader butts in the 1996 sci-fi thriller “Independence Day.” It’s on at 11 a.m. Sunday on E! (Cable Vision Channel 38).
• Let’s hope there are no giant balloons nearby. The Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular will air at 8 p.m. Sunday on NBC (Cable Vision Channel 8).

And if you’re all partied out, here are a couple of options to wind down your celebrations:

• TLC (Cable Vision Channel 29) features a marathon of “Extreme Forensics” from 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday. You might want to chow down on those burgers and coleslaw well beforehand.
• Jim Sturgess stars as an MIT math student recruited to join a secret card-counting crew in “21” at 8 p.m. Sunday on FX (Cable Vision Channel 53.) Because, let’s face it, that’s the real American Dream: winning big money at a Vegas casino.

Born on the Fourth

Actress Becki Newton (“Ugly Betty”) is 32; singer John Waite (“Missing You”) is 55; TV personality Geraldo Rivera is 67; singer Bill Withers (“Lean on Me,” “Ain’t No Sunshine”) is 72; New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner is 80; playwright Neil Simon (“The Odd Couple,” “The Goodbye Girl”) is 83; and advice columnists Ann Landers and Abigail Van Buren are 92.

--With staff and wire reports