REGIONAL— Catch up on your sleep this weekend. You’re going to need the rest as the busiest week of a North Country summer kicks into high gear with a long list of activities from Ely, to Tower, to Orr. If you can’t find something fun to do this week, you’re just not trying.

The week’s entertainment starts on Sunday, July 1, with the popular community picnic at the Breitung Recreation Area in Soudan. The event runs from 2 p.m.-6 p.m. and includes free food for all and games for the kids, concluding with an always-outstanding patriotic concert at 5 p.m.

The patriotic music continues on Sunday, with a musical salute to veterans set for 2 p.m. at the high school auditorium, in Ely.

The fun continues on Tuesday, July 3, with the annual Orr Fun Day celebration. This year’s event is more action-packed than ever, with a children’s parade, crafters, and a boat parade at 6:30 p.m. Sweet Freedom, one of the area’s hottest local bands, will provide the entertainment for a street dance beginning at 8:30 p.m.

The week’s main event arrives on Wednesday, with Independence Day parades, games, and fireworks scheduled at Tower, Ely, and Crane Lake.

Tower’s annual Independence Day parade begins at 11 a.m., which leaves you just enough time to make Ely’s parade at 1 p.m. Both communities offer a full line-up of activities throughout the day. Children’s races and a sawdust scramble are on tap in Tower beginning at 1:30 p.m. at the Tower-Soudan School.

In Ely, the fun starts at 11 a.m., with a community picnic, canoe camping competitions, and a sawdust scramble for the kids. Family races start at 2:30 p.m., following the parade. All the activities, except the parade, take place at Whiteside Park.

Fireworks in both Tower and Ely begin at dusk, on the north hill in Tower and over Miner’s Lake in Ely.

Crane Lake’s celebration begins in the evening with a parade, followed by kids’ activities and fireworks. Parade participants will line up at the Voyagaire Houseboats Resort at 6:30 p.m. before heading down Gold Coast Road. Kids’ games will follow at Voyagaire Houseboats, with fireworks at dusk.

But Wednesday night’s fireworks do not cap the week’s activities by any means. Bay View Lodge’s annual Flotilla on Lake Vermilion gets underway Saturday, July 7, with a “Miami Vice” theme. Registration starts at noon and the action gets underway at 1:30 p.m. The fun wraps up with another chance to hear Sweet Freedom.

Lake Vermilion won’t be the only place where you can take part in a flotilla. The White Iron Chain of Lakes Association will host its annual “Never on the Fourth” boat parade, also on Saturday, July 7. Participants are encouraged to decorate their boats and meet on the Farm Lake side of the Silver Rapids Dam for about a two-hour tour around the lake.