> Anyone care to share their plans or perhaps join us for something?

Evon, Haley, and I go the same place every July 4th weekend: The Great Blue
Heron Music Festival outside of Jamestown, N.Y. (not far from Erie, Pa.), a
comfortable 7 hour drive from our home near Reading, Pa.  Last year was
Haley's first Blue Heron Fest, at 5 weeks old (but even at that age, her
third music festival), so this year she'll be a veteran already. :-)  The
festival lasts from Friday thru Sunday, and features an eclectic mix of
performers, from rock to bluegrass to swing to folk to reggae to whatever.
There are two stages with continuous performances, plus dancing, kids stuff
(crafts, puppet shows, etc.), swimming on an on-site lake, lots of food
(Indian, Far Eastern, Mexican, vegitarian, hamburgers, you name it), vendors
of crafts, clothing, musical instruments, jewelry and more, etc. etc. etc. A
wide variety of attendees, too, both young and old.  Cost about $30 to get
in for the weekend and about the same again for on-site camping all weekend
(no hookups, but plenty of tent and van space).

About 1/2 hour from there is a tiny private campground called (I think)
Brookside, right on Lake Erie.  You pull in onto a cliff directly
overlooking the lake, with a rickety stairway nearby leading to a small
beach in front of the lake. We stumbled on this treasure completely by
accident, and now make it a point to stay there one night each year, either
right before or right after the festival.  Since July 4 is a Sunday and
everyone's taking Monday the 5th off, we're planning on catching the
fireworks in nearby Mayville, NY and then camping there the night of Sunday
the 4th, then returning home by the evening of the 5th.

I could dig up more info (directions, phone number, url, etc.) for anyone
interested.  If this is your sort of thing, I couldn't imagine a better way
to spend a holiday weekend.

- Ron Salmon
  The Bus Depot, Inc.
  http://www.busdepot.com
  (215) 234-VWVW