The city of Alabaster and Kingwood Church will partner to light up the skies over Veterans Park July 3 while providing entertainment for residents of all ages.

The free Celebrate America event, which is sponsored by the church and the Alabaster Parks and Recreation Department, will begin at 6 p.m. at Veterans Park, and will feature food, live music and a plethora of family activities.

“Kingwood came to us to see if we would partner with them to put on this event,” said Ricky Nance, the city’s Parks and Recreation director. “So far, everything has been going great.”

Kingwood Pastor Benny Cunningham said the church wanted to partner with Alabaster to show its gratitude to the city.

“We wanted to give a gift to the community and show the community how much it means to us,” Cunningham said. “And we wanted to celebrate what America is all about.”

At 6 p.m. local bands will begin performing at the park, and a “Kids Zone” will offer inflatables and age-appropriate games throughout the night. The city will also hold its weekly “Movie in the Park” at 8 p.m. by showing “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.”

Following the movie, Kingwood Church will present a patriotic fanfare leading into a choreographed fireworks show presented by Pyro Productions.

Local restaurants, including Wing King, Guthrie’s, Jim ’N Nick’s, Kona Ice and Moe’s, will be selling food throughout the festival.

Kingwood will deploy nearly 300 volunteers during the event to help with everything from parking to cleanup.

“I think it’s going to be a good event,” Nance said. “This is something the whole community can enjoy.”

“The city has opened the doors wide and worked really well with us,” Cunningham said. “The preparation has gone great so far.”

Festival attendees are encouraged to bring blankets and lawn chairs to set up at the park during the event.

For more information about Celebrate America, visit Cityofalabaster.com and click on the “Parks and Recreation” tab on the left side of the site.