Go fourth!
On Thursday, head to the source to get your fireworks fix. New Castle, Pa., just north of Pittsburgh, is indisputably the Fireworks Capital of America – it’s the home of both Zambelli Internationale and Pyrotecnico. The Fireworks Festival runs July 4-7, along with the Back to the ’50s Weekend, which involves a lot of driving up and down the main drag in vintage cars; (724) 654-8408, http://www.backtothe50sweekend.com.
Viva Liberace
They all came – Charo, the governor of Nevada, Siegfried and Roy – to celebrate the re-do of Las Vegas’ Liberace Museum. In true Mr. Showmanship fashion, a rhinestone-studded ribbon was cut to celebrate the new exterior and interior, which reflect the flamboyant style of the bejeweled one. Don’t miss the neon piano on the roof – or the jewel-encrusted Baldwin inside, on which Liberace played his last performance (at Radio City); (702) 798-5595, http://www.liberace.org.
Light my fires
Downtown Providence, R.I., brightens its summer nights with WaterFire, a multimedia installation on its three rivers. Performers accompanied by music float by on torch-lit vessels and black-clad firetenders keep watch over 100 bonfires. The ceremonies include ballroom dancing and live music at the Sovereign Plaza Ballroom; http://www.waterfire.org.