New July 4th music festival planned at Festival Hall

Organizers at Festival Hall are working to turn the city-owned venue into a vibrant spot for live music this summer.

The Racine Civic Centre has three major events planned for the site this summer beyond the regular festival line-up.

The Music for the Halibut series on Fridays is under way, a June 7th concert in conjunction with the Hot Rod Power Tower is a go and a new Fourth of July festival is planned to bridge the gap between the Fourth Fest Parade and the fireworks.

Here's a breakdown of the events:

Music for the Halibut

This is a series of concerts designed to appeal to families as well as music fans. The show will happen rain or shine and kid activities are planned each week. Backyard Bouncers will have a “bouncy house” on site to give the kids a fun diversion. For adults, Indy 500 recording artist Chris Crush from the band Permacrush will perform. Chris has nearly 25,000 My Space fans. His single “Bottlerocket” was a college radio hit.

Doors Open at 4 p.m. but music is planned to go until 8 p.m. In addition to great music – we will also have some awesome Wisconsin Famous Fish Fry from Danny’s Meats out of Caledonia. The idea is to build a series that will become part of the culture of Racine. Tickets are a family friendly $3 for adults, $2 for kids (ages 6-12), and children 5 and under are free.

Jam for Uncle Sam

The Civic Centre is co-promoting this new event with the Racine HOG (Harley Operators Group). The idea behind the event is to fill the gap between Racine's Fourth Fest Parade and the Fourth of July fireworks.

Bands for the event include: OCD, Bedlam and Supernaut.

For $20, attendees get motorcycle parking, admission, a meal, and VIP Seating. $10 gets you general admission seating (no meal, parking, or VIP seating). Miller Lite is a sponsor of the event, and beer and Mike's Hard Lemonade will be sold at the festival.

Harley Rocks

On June 7, Festival Park is hosting a concert to complement the Hot Rod Power Tour. A handful of Harley Davidson show bikes will be on display, and food and music will be sold. The band Last Call Trio is booked to play. The event is free to the public as a gift from VenuWorks (the company that runs Festival Hall) to the community.