NORTH BRANCH — The annual North Branch Days festival kicked off yesterday (Saturday) with a children’s parade, games and the popular Bump and Run at Lions Field, but the festivities are just getting started. Events will continue all week long as residents and visitors celebrate rural life with neighbors and friends.

On Tuesday, businesses from the north and south sides of Huron Street will compete in a series of games, aptly named the North/South Games. The games will take place Tuesday evening starting at 6 p.m.

The Fourth of July (Wednesday) is the main day of events during North Branch Days, however. The day will begin with a pancake breakfast served from 8 a.m. until noon at the North Branch Masonic Lodge downtown. Across the street at the American Legion Post 457, the North Branch firemen will hold a Chinese auction starting at 9 a.m. Donations of auction items are still being sought.

The large annual parade will be held on Wednesday as well, running along Huron Street in downtown North Branch. The theme of the parade this year, which is set to begin at 11 a.m., is “Down on the Farm.” The theme was chosen to celebrate North Branch’s predominately rural and agricultural way of life. A horseshoe tournament will be held at Memorial Park following the parade at 1 p.m. The House of Hope will also be sponsoring a beef and pork dinner, open to the community, from 2-6 p.m. at North Branch Middle School.

The annual tractor pull, which will likely draw a large crowd again this year, will be held at Lions Field at 5 p.m. on Wednesday. High-powered tractor owners will have a chance to show off and compete in the annual competition, seeing whose tractor can pull the most weight.

The final event on Saturday is also a celebration of Independence Day. North Branch residents and village visitors will have a chance to watch a large fireworks display on July 4.

The large fireworks display will take place at North Branch High School beginning at dusk, and area residents are invited to watch the show from the high school grounds, along with several other locations around town. Memorial Park, Jefferson Trail Elementary and Ss. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in North Branch are all prime locations that draw crowds of spectators each year at the close of the festival.

The fun doesn’t end on Wednesday, however. Lions Field will host the lawnmower races on Saturday, July 7 starting at 7 p.m. The lawnmower races will be a new event to North Branch Days this year and are a must-see for anyone looking for fun.