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Best Family Events This Weekend (7/2-7/4)

Happy 4th of July weekend! Check out CBS SF's 4th of July Guide for an endless list of event ideas for your holiday weekend. Here are some highlights, some additional holiday-centric events, plus some non-4th suggestions for when you need a break from the red, white, and blue.

CBS San Francisco's Guide to the 4th of July

North Bay

Marin County Fair
10 Avenue of the Flags
San Rafael
July 1-4
11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Marin County Fair

Those looking for family fun over the weekend should look no further than the Marin County Fair, featuring a slew of live entertainment, activities for kids and parents, and each night concludes with a fireworks show. So, pretty much every day during the fair is an Independence Day celebration.

"Party in the Park,"
Tomales Park
Highway One , Tomales
Sunday, July 3
11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Party in the Park

The newly renovated Tomales Community Park will play host to its first "Party in the Park" on Sunday to raise funds for ongoing maintenance and operation. Children can play on the new safe play structures and get their faces painted. Young and old "and everybody in between," can enjoy games, silent auctions, raffles, and music by Hill William Band (David Franklin and Jeff Williams), the Tarasco Mariachi Band and the Greg Rocha Band. Food items include brats, barbeque, and Indian food, and beverages include Lagunitas Pilsner and IPA and organic wines.

East Bay

4th of July at Berkeley Marina, featuring the Hipwaders
Berkeley Marina 201 University Avenue, Berkeley
Monday, July 4
11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
4th of July at the Berkeley Marina

Bay Area kindie-rockers The Hipwaders, along with a line-up of other stellar bands, will perform at the 4th of July celebration at Berkeley Marina. Kids can hit up the regular activities at the Marina, including Adventure Playground, the giant slide, and frolicking in the water. They can also take part in old-fashioned sack races, art & crafts, free sailboat rides from 1-4 p.m., free dragon boat rowing from 2-6 p.m., pony rides, a dunk tank, and not to mention the fireworks off the end of the Berkeley Pier at 9:30 p.m.

Professor B's Flea Circus
Playland Not-at-the-Beach
Saturday, July 2 and Sunday, July 3
1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Playland Not At The Beach

Have your kids ever seen an old-fashioned flea circus? What, you haven't either? Here's your chance. As part of Playland-Not-at-the-Beach's The Spirit of America weekend, Professor B brings his impressively trained fleet of fleas from around the world performing "the most amazing congress of unusual acts you have ever seen." Go see for yourself, and bring a camera!

San Francisco

Neko Case and the Dodos, Stern Grove Festival
Sunday, July 3, 2 p.m.
Stern Grove
19th Avenue and Sloat Boulevard

Indie Independence Day Concert

Indie queen Neko Case headlines this weekend's Stern Grove Festival, along with local faves, folk-rockers The Dodos. It's supposed to be warm and fairly nice, so get there early and claim a spot at this popular family event!

Fillmore Jazz Festival
Saturday, July 2 and Sunday, July 3
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Fillmore, between Jackson and Eddy

Fillmore Jazz Festival

San Francisco's beloved Fillmore Jazz Festival, the largest free jazz festival on the West Coast, will play host to over 90,000 guests this weekend as they enjoy a diverse range of acts on stages that span 13 blocks of Fillmore Street, from up-and-coming jazz fusion and latin-flavored acts to seasoned crooners belting out jazz standards.

SF Mime Troupe
Saturday, July 2, Sunday, July 3, and Monday, July 4
2 p.m. (Music 1:30)
Dolores Park
18th St. & Dolores St

SF Mime Troupe

The beloved, Tony Award-winning SF Mime Troupe opens this weekend in Dolores Park with the premiere 2012 - The Musical! While the kids' take the jokes at face value, parents can enjoy a little satire at the same time.

South Bay

Foster City 4th of July Dog Show, Parade & Fireworks
Monday, July 4
8 a.m. to 9:45 p.m.
Leo J. Ryan Park
| 650 Shell Boulevard
Foster City

Foster City 4th of July

Along with all the other traditional Independence Day attractions and activities, Foster City's event features a Stars and Stripes Dog Show, their 19th annual one to be exact. Come see which dogs will take home prizes for Best Trick, Dog-Owner Look-a-Like, Fastest Eater, Most Beautiful, Most Handsome, and Most Patriotic.

Leanne Maxwell is the mother of a toddler who loves checking out the many kidcentric activities the Bay Area has to offer. She's also a freelance writer, designer, and all-around web enthusiast. You can find her over at leannemaxwell.com.

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