Nearly 50,000 people are expected to take in the blasts and booms in the Denton sky Saturday at the 37th annual Denton Noon Kiwanis Club Fireworks Extravaganza.

The event will be the biggest fireworks display to come to Fouts Field at the University of North Texas, with more and larger fireworks, said Hank Dickenson, chairman of the event and a club member.

“We’re set for a big, big crowd,” Dickenson said. “With the economy and this being a free event, I think we’ll have one of the biggest crowds we’ve ever had.”

Other Denton Fourth of July events are expecting rocketing attendance, too.

Denton’s Fourth of July Yankee Doodle Parade is expected to be the best parade yet in the city, said Bobby Givens, parade coordinator.

“It’s going to be the biggest we’ve seen,” Givens said. “We’ve been getting a lot of phone calls about the parade.”

And about 150 participants had signed up for the city’s 11th annual Liberty 5K run and 1-mile walk by Wednesday afternoon.

But the Kiwanis’ fireworks display is more than just crowds and cheers; it’s about raising money for about 625 children in the Denton County area in need of medical, dental and prescription care, said Dr. Norman J. Pomerance, chairman of the Denton Kiwanis Children’s Clinic Committee.

“We’re hoping to collect as much as we did last year,” Pomerance said. “Our sponsorships weren’t as good last year.”

As sponsorships become more difficult to come by, the global recession has increased the number of children in need locally, he said.

“We’re the only private organization to help these children,” Pomerance said. “Without our treatment, they wind up in emergency rooms or go without the treatment.”

The free care helps children get out of pain and go back to school where they belong, he said.

Volunteers will be lined up with buckets to raise donations for the Kiwanis Children’s Clinic at the Fourth of July event.

The bucket brigade set a record for donations last year, and with the assistance of more volunteers this year, the Kiwanis club likely will gather more funds, said Ryan Thacker, who is co-chairman of the bucket brigade with his grandfather, Fred Funk.

“We were short-handed last year and we were running around. … Everyone worked their tails off,” Thacker said. “Hopefully we will do more and break last year’s record.”

The family fun zone has been expanded with another bounce house, and there has been discussion of charging a nominal fee for the play areas to help aid fundraising efforts, Dickenson said, but that won’t be decided until Saturday.

“We want it to be a free family event, but we do need to raise money,” he said.

Premier Pyrotechnics of Richland, Mo., the pyrotechnic company for the event, has promised a bigger shell count and Denton’s best show ever, Dickenson said.

It is the first Denton Fourth of July celebration the company has worked on, but crews handling the fireworks on the ground have done the Denton event in past years, he said.

The crowds will be seated on the west side of Fouts Field, away from the deployment area.

People can enter the stadium through Gates 1 and 3, Dickenson said.

Despite the difficult sponsorship year and the rising cost of fireworks, the business, medical and university communities came together to provide money for the show, which is an example of how the city comes together for a good cause, he said.

Until the lights are turned off and the first bright rocket lights the sky Saturday, Dickenson and other organizers can only hope residents will show the same generosity Saturday, he said.

“We’re having a tough year, but it’s for a good cause,” Dickenson said. “It’s a great entertainment value, if everyone throws a few extra dollars in.”

CANDACE CARLISLE can be reached at 940-566-6889. Her e-mail address is ccarlisle@dentonrc.com .

For more information, visit www.cityofdenton.com/pages/parks.cfm .

7:30 a.m. — 11th annual Liberty 5K Run and 1-Mile Walk, at North Lakes Recreation Center, 2001 W. Windsor Drive. Registration is $15 in advance, or $20 the day of the event. Family rates are available. Call 940-349-7275.

9 to 9:30 a.m. — Denton’s Yankee Doodle Parade will line up at the Wells Fargo parking lot at Hickory Street and Austin Street. The parade, starting at 9:30 a.m., will travel around the Square and finish at Quakertown Park. Late parade entries can register at 8 a.m. For more information, call 940-349-8575.

9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. — Fourth of July Jubilee festivities at the Denton Civic Center and Quakertown Park, including a flag ceremony, horseshoe tournament, children’s arts and crafts show, children’s carnival, children’s gutter boat racing and a whipped cream eating contest. Admission to the Denton Civic Center pool is $1. Call 940-349-8733 for the arts and crafts show or 940-349-7764 to sign up for gutter boat racing.

5:30 p.m. — Gates open for the Denton Kiwanis Club’s 37th annual Fireworks Extravaganza at UNT’s Fouts Field, 2178 N. Stemmons Freeway, on the west side of the stadium. There will be live music, games and bounce houses leading up to the fireworks display. The cost is free, but the Kiwanis Club will have a bucket brigade to collect donations for the Kiwanis Children’s Clinic.

6:30 to 7:30 p.m. — Music by Thad Bonduris and the Fun-Addix

7:45 to 8:15 p.m. — Music by Janny McClure

8:20 p.m. — Presentation of the colors by Boy Scout Troop 140 and national anthem sung by Janny McClure

8:25 to 8:35 p.m. — Kiwanis announcements and sponsor recognition

8:45 to 9:30 p.m. — Music by Thad Bonduris and the Fun-Addix

9:35 p.m. — Fireworks and patriotic music by Premier Pyrotechnics

When: 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday

Where: Lake Dallas City Park, 101 W. Hundley Drive.

Details: Free. For more information, visit www.lakedallas.com.

SCHEDULE

8 a.m. — Parade registration and lineup

9 a.m. — Parade starts and vendor booths open

10 a.m. — Patriotic presentation, veterans memorial

10:15 a.m. — Parade awards ceremony

10:30 a.m. — Bubbles Show with Linda Berman

11:45 a.m. — Jade Hudson on the main stage

1 p.m. — Announcement of apple pie bake-off winner

1 p.m. — Qunitessa on the main stage

1 to 2:30 p.m. — Apple pie bake-off pies for sale

2 to 5 p.m. — Kids’ zone break

2 to 2:30 p.m. — Putting contest

2:30 to 3 p.m. — Hula hoop contest

3 to 5 p.m. — Lake Cities Idol competition

3:30 to 4 p.m. — Watermelon eating contest; register at information booth

7 to 9 p.m. — Eleven Hundred Springs on the main stage

7:50 to 8:10 p.m. — Performance by the winner of Lake Cities Idol

9 p.m. — Recognition of sponsors; national anthem sung by Carol Ann Connors

9:15 p.m. — Fireworks Spectacular

Where: Rancho De La Roca Retreat Ranch, 2459 W. Blackjack Road in Aubrey

When: 5:30 to 10 p.m. Saturday. Fireworks begin at 9:15 p.m.

Details: Admission is $5 for adults. Children 3 and younger get in free. Proceeds benefit local and international missions. For more information, call 940-365-7625 or visit www.ranchoroca.com.

8 a.m. to 1 p.m. — Freedom Fest in Sanger, including a race/walk at 8 a.m., flag-raising at 9 a.m., a balloon release at 9:05 a.m. and a parade starting at 9:10 a.m. An apple pie baking contest will start at 10 a.m., followed by a three-legged sack race at 10:20 a.m., a watermelon seed spitting contest at 10:50 a.m., an egg toss at 11 a.m., judging of the sidewalk art contest at 11:15 a.m., and the Sanger Fire Department’s fish fry from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information, call 940-458-4931.

9:30 a.m. — Fourth of July Parade in Double Oak. Lineup is at Simmons and Oak Trail; the route continues down Cross Timbers and ends at fire station’s picnic and fun fest. Visit www.dovfd.org.

10 a.m. — Fourth of July Parade in Copper Canyon. Lineup starts at 9:15 a.m., and the parade ends at Town Hall with hot dogs and drinks. Call 940-241-1455.

10 a.m. to 1 p.m. — Fourth of July Parade in Oak Point. Lineup begins at 9:30 a.m. at Martop and Naylor roads; the route continues down Naylor and ends at Jake’s Place Park with barbecue picnic and fun fest. Volunteers are still needed. Call 972-294-2312.

11 a.m. to 4 p.m. — American Legion Post 71 will host a cookout at 2501 Spencer Road. Barbecue briskets, hamburgers and hot dogs, and drinks, will be available. Cost is $8 for adults and $4 for children. Call Don L. Long at 940-595-0979.