Festivities celebrating the nation's independence are expecting to draw larger crowds in Canton and Woodstock this year.

In both cities, Independence Day events will be conducted during the day on Saturday in the downtown areas, with fireworks displays set off that evening from shopping centers.

The City of Woodstock will celebrate its annual Freedom Fest all day on Saturday.

Woodstock's annual celebration kicks off with its Freedom Run through downtown featuring a 5K at 7:30 a.m. followed by a 1-mile and Tot Trot.

Entry fees for the 5K and 1-mile runs are $15 by today and $20 after. Entry fees for the Tot Trot are $5 today and $7 after. Proceeds from the run will benefit The HOPE Center, a nonprofit pregnancy resource center in Woodstock.

The run, according to Woodstock Special Events Coordinator Mary Beth Stockdale, had 700 runners last year. She said she expects that number to double as the race is the day before the annual Peachtree Road Race.

The city will present its annual parade at 10 a.m., and it will run on Main Street on Highway 92 to Woodstock Elementary School on Rope Mill Road. Serving as grand marshal is Mike O'Brien, the retired Woodstock High School head football coach. The city will hand out awards for Best Holiday and Most Original floats.

Freedom Fest, sponsored by LGE Credit Union, will begin at 11 a.m. in Woodstock City Park after the parade. It will feature a free concert by the Whiskey Rose band, a watermelon seed spitting contest, a gumball guess and a cake walk. Ms. Stockdale also said games, crafts, kids activities and concessions will be on hand.

Fireworks will begin at dusk at the Woodstock Square shopping center on Highway 92 at I-575 exit 7.

Mrs. Stockdale said she's hoping to attract as many as the 5,000 attendees, which is how many came out for Woodstock's festivities last year.

"Our participants and attendees always have a huge patriotic experience," Ms. Stockdale said.

Canton's "Dog Days of Summer" celebration kicks off at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Cannon Park in downtown. There will be a pie eating contest at 2 p.m., a dog parade at 3 p.m. with prizes for best dog outfit and which dog looks most like its owner and a parade at 5 p.m.

The lineup for motorized vehicles will begin near the Auto Zone on Waleska Street. Walking units will line up on Academy Street, next to the county school district's central office building. The parade route loops down Main Street and up North Street.

The festivities will also include live music, food, inflatables and games for children, said Ginger Garrard, Canton's Main Street Program director.

Canton will top off the night with a fireworks display launched from RiverStone Plaza on Riverstone Parkway at Interstate 575 exit 20.

Ms. Garrard said she's expecting 1,000 people to attend the events, up from roughly 700 last year.

"Everybody had so much fun last year," she said, noting she thinks more people will stay closer to home this holiday weekend. "We look for it to be a hit every year."

The pie-eating contest is a new addition and was the brain child of the promotions committee of the city's Main Street Program board. Participants aren't required to sign up in advance for the free contest.

The Cherokee County Farm Bureau is among the entities that will be represented in the Canton parade.

Shirley Pahl, program coordinator for the Farm Bureau, said the organization's float has a horse and wagon theme and will incorporate agriculture commodities such as vegetables and peanuts in its design.

Mrs. Pahl, who said the bureau has been a longtime participant in the parade, said the festivities are a great way to celebrate the holiday.

"It's also great because it brings the community downtown," she added.