Week of June 27- July 4

Welcome to our weekly "What's Happening" email, designed to provide you with a glance at opportunities for an unbridled good time in the Bowling Green area.

It is time for Independence Day Celebrations across the country... and no matter how you choose to spend your 4th, we hope it is happy and safe!

Here in BG, pack up the car on Friday afternoon and head on out to the National Corvette Museum amphitheater for the 2011 Thunderfest sponsored by Citizens First and presented by the BG Kiwanis Club. Enjoy music, activities, fun and fireworks for only $15 a carload or $5 per person over 12 years, and all proceeds benefit local children's charities. Visit the link below to learn more!

Also on Sunday and Monday nights, the Bowling Green Hot Rods will celebrate the 4th with Fireworks displays following both games against the Great Lakes Loons. Call 270-901-2121 or visit bghotrods.com for tickets.

Run up to Jellystone Park in Cave City to see some community fireworks on Sunday night. If you're heading to the water, Barren River State Resort Park will have its annual 4th of July Fireworks on Monday evening just after dark. Call 270-646-2151 for more information.

Looking for an escape from the heat and harsh rays of the summer sun? Then take the gang inside for an out-of-this world experience at WKU's Hardin Planetarium. The current presentation, Venus: Our Sister Planet, uses new photographs and NASA footage to explore the impact Venus has had throughout our history, discuss our current understanding of its composition and atmosphere, and highlight NASA's plans for future missions.

This show runs through July 10 with 7 p.m. shows on Tuesdays & Thursdays plus an additional show next Sunday at 2 p.m. Parking is available on State Street in front of the Thompson Complex, in a student parking lot at the corner of Chestnut and 14th street and on many of the streets around this student parking lot. Call 270-745-4044 or visit the link below for more information.

To view the complete calendar of upcoming events, click here and visit our Events section.

All phone numbers are area code 270 unless otherwise noted.

Ongoing - June 28 Kim Jones & Hai Ri Han Gallery Exhibition, Capitol Arts Center galleries, 9-5pm, 782-2787, www.capitolarts.com

Ongoing - June 30 Kentucky Down Under Teacher Appreciation Month, Teachers free with school ID, 800-762-2869, www.kdu.com

Ongoing - July 29 Chaney's Summer Family Farm Tours, Mondays & Fridays, 11am & 1pm, $7 per person, 843-5567, chaneysdairybarn.com

Ongoing - July 29 Artworks, Inc. Members 4th Annual Fine Arts Exhibition, WKU Fine Arts Center, artworksinc.org

Ongoing -July 30 Chevrolet Nova Exhibit, National Corvette Museum, M-Su 8am- 5pm, 781-7973, corvettemuseum.org

Ongoing - August 5 "Observations: Real & Imagined", Memphis Marsha's Art Gallery, 392-0188, memphismarshas.com

27- July 10 Cirque Africa, featuring the Kenya Safari Acrobats, Beech Bend Park, 781-7634, beechbend.com

28 Beaver Tuesday Night Drag/Oval Fun Racing, Beech Bend Raceway, gates open at 6 pm, 781-7634, beechbend.com

29 Concerts in the Park-Rick Arnold, Fountain Square Park, 12 pm, 782-0222, downtownbg.org

30 Country Concert with Walker Hayes and Mackenzie Morgan, Beech Bend Park, 6pm, 781-7634, wggc.com

1 Stock Car Racing, Beech Bend Raceway, gates open at 5 pm, 781-7634, beechbend.com

1 Mammoth Cave Free Discovery Tours, all day, Mammoth Cave National Park, 758-2192, nps.gov/maca/index.htm

1-3 16A Mid. W. National Girls' Fastpitch Qualifier, Ephram White & Buchanon Parks, all day, bpettyasa@aol.com

1-26 Memphis Marsha Artists Gallery Exhibition, Capitol Arts Center galleries, 9-5 pm, 782-2787, capitolarts.com

1-26 Untraditional Kentucky Artists Gallery Exhibit, Capitol Arts Center galleries, 9 am - 5 pm, 782-2787, capitolarts.com

2 The Center for Gifted Studies at WKU 30th Anniversary, activities and meals around town, 10 am- 6:30 pm, 745-3014, www.wku.edu/gifted

2 O'Reilly Saturday Night Fun Racing with Wild Street Shootout, Beech Bend Raceway, gates open at 5 pm, 781-7634, beechbend.com

3 BG Hot Rods v. Great Lakes, 7:05 pm, Fireworks, 901-2121, bghotrods.com

3 NHRA Drag Racing with Stock Car Racing & Southern Super Stock Cars, Beech Bend Raceway, gates open at 4 pm, 781-7634, beechbend.com

4 BG Hot Rods v. Great Lakes, 7:05 pm, Fireworks, 901-2121, bghotrods.com

July 5-10 Pontiac-Oakland Club International, Sloan Convention Center & Beech Bend Raceway

July 8 Concerts in the Park-The Thornz, Fountain Square Park; Tyrone Dunn Experiment, Circus Square Park

July 8-9 Chaney's Ice Cream & A Moovie Night, How To Train Your Dragon

July 9 Second Saturdays Street Fair, Downtown Fountain Square

July 9 Get Down with Dueling Pianos, Lost River Cave Ballroom

July 11-25 Kids Festival 2011!, Beech Bend Park

July 13-17 US Adult National Soccer Championships, Lovers Lane Soccer Complex

July 14-16 National Corvette Homecoming, Sloan Convention Center

July 16 Geocaching 101: Hiding a Cache, Lost River Cave & Valley

July 16 Southern Gospel Music, Capitol Arts Center

Congratulations to BGACVB Marketing Director Emily Causey on the birth of her twin sons, Simon and Jude! The boys were born last night and everyone is doing well.