Fenton Freedom Festival Guide

Time to celebrate Independence Day and you can do it in Fenton with the Fenton Annual Freedom Festival!

Thursday, June 28

• The festival starts with the crowning of the at 6:30 p.m. before the .

Tuesday, July 2

• 7 p.m. - at
• 8 p.m.- Grand Marshal Adult Reception for Roger Sharp at the .

Wednesday, July 4

• 7 - 10 a.m. - Pancake breakfast at American Legion #38.
• 9:45 a.m. - Firecracker Fun Run begins at Fenton schools .
• 10 a.m. - Parade begins at Rounds Drive, East on Shiawassee to Adelaide, south on Adelaide to South Holly Road, East on South Holly Road to Leroy, North on Leroy to Caroline and West on Caroline to West street.
• 12:30 p.m. - in .
• 1 to 3 p.m. - Kids' Water Battle in Millpond Park.
• 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. - Fast Pitch Softball at Fenton Little League Fields near Fenton High School.
• Dusk - Fenton Fireworks 2012 near .

Fireworks

While fireworks that leave the ground and make loud noises are now legal in Michigan, the city of e in which those fireworks can also be used July 3, 4 and 5 between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m.

Fireworks safety

The American Pyrotechnics Association website also offers several fireworks safety tips from the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission and the National Council on Fireworks Safety, which recommend that consumers:

1. Always read and follow label directions
2. Always have an adult present
3. Only buy from – never experiment or attempt to make your own fireworks
4. Only ignite fireworks outdoors, light only one at a time and never reignite malfunctioning fireworks
5. Dispose of fireworks properly
6. Be sure to have water handy
7. Never give fireworks to small children
8. Store fireworks in a cool, dry place
9. Never throw fireworks at another person
10. Never carry fireworks in your pocket or shoot fireworks in metal or glass containers

Fourth of July Recipes

Mushroom Pizza Burgers

(makes 4 servings and can easily be doubled)

For the sauce:

Cooking spray

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

1/4 cup diced onion

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 garlic clove, minced

1 cup canned crushed tomatoes, undrained

Coat a small nonstick skillet with spray; place over medium heat until hot. Add sliced mushrooms and onions, sauté 3 minutes. Add oregano and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add tomatoes; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally and squishing the tomatoes to break them down. Remove from heat. Set tomato sauce aside and keep warm if you’re using it right away. Otherwise, store it in an airtight container for up to a week. (And yes, if you want to make this recipe even easier, you can use jarred pizza sauce and skip making this sauce altogether. It won’t be quite as good, but it will be just fine.)

For the burgers:

1 pound ground round

1 1/2 cups finely chopped mushrooms

1/3 cup chopped fresh basil (or 5 teaspoons dried basil)

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 egg white, lightly beaten

4 slices mozzarella cheese

Combine beef and the rest of the burger ingredients (not the cheese) in a bowl; stir well (using clean hands works the best). Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions, shaping into 1/2-inch-thick patties.

Prepare grill. Place patties on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill 5 minutes on each side or until done to your preference. Top each patty with cheese, and place each cheese-topped patty on the bottom half of a hamburger bun. Top with 2 tablespoons of the sauce. Put on the bun top and have at it!

* * *

OK, now for those vegetarians. This is a fantastic side dish you can bring to someone else’s barbecue bash, re-heat in their microwave and serve warm. And it will serve as a main course for someone who doesn’t eat meat. I made up this recipe after reading about a couple of fancier ones involving goat cheese and homemade pasta. My version is easier, I promise. The only part that might seem a tiny bit tricky if you’ve never done it before is charring the peppers. It’s not that hard, and you’ll feel like you should have your own show on the Food Channel after you do it for the first time.

Cheese Ravioli with Red Bell Pepper Sauce

(makes 6-8 servings)

For the sauce:

4 or 5 red bell peppers

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup diced canned tomatoes, undrained

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

Char the peppers over a grill flame or in a broiler or toaster oven, turning them every so often with tongs until they’re completely blackened on all sides. Place the charred peppers in a paper bag; seal and let stand at room temperature for at least 15 minutes. Then you can easily peel and seed the peppers. Chop them up.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and tomatoes and cook until the onion begins to brown, about 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low; add chopped peppers and cook for a few minutes until the onion is very soft, stirring often. Add vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Stir it all together and it’s done.

For the ravioli:

2 pounds frozen cheese ravioli (Meijer brand is pretty good and use any size you choose)

4 tablespoons butter

1 cup sliced black olives              

Parmesan cheese

Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat until it begins to brown. Cook ravioli following package directions for boiling method (takes 3 or 4 minutes). Drain cooked ravioli well. Toss ravioli in skillet with browned butter.

For serving:

Gently toss buttered ravioli with red pepper sauce (re-heated if you did it ahead of time). Serve sprinkled with sliced black olives and Parmesan.

* * *

Here’s one more side dish worthy of the Fourth, a classic Beef and Bean Barbecue Bake, to take the place of those canned baked beans, although they figure in this recipe. I usually make this with ground turkey instead of beef. It’s good either way. You can make this well before your barbecue, cover it and store it in the frig, and re-heat it when the guests arrive or just before you bring it to share at someone else’s party. I adapted this version from a recipe I found online about 10 years ago. You can easily adapt my version to suit yourself, adding cheese on the top at the end and baking it for a few more minutes, or even mixing in cooked macaroni. I like it this way, however:

Ground Meat and Bean Barbecue Bake

(makes about 6 servings)

2 tablespoons oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh garlic

1 large celery rib, chopped

1 green or red bell pepper, chopped

2 or 3 shakes of dried red pepper flakes (or more if you like the heat)

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef or turkey

1 16-ounce can baked beans, undrained (Bush’s is a good brand)

1 16-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup barbecue sauce

1/4 cup molasses

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 13-by-9-inch baking dish.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, celery and peppers; cook, stirring, for 5-6 minutes or until vegetables are softened. Add in the red pepper flakes, garlic and ground meat; cook, breaking up the meat with a fork or wooden spoon, for about 6 minutes, or until meat is no longer pink. Drain off all the fat in the skillet.

Stir in the baked beans, kidney beans, barbecue sauce, molasses, Worcestershire sauce and mustard. Mix well to combine.

Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Bake uncovered for about 40 minutes.

contributed to this article.