WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Lazy summer day? Not in the Village Beautiful.

 

Williamstown has a full lineup of activities from 8 a.m. to well into the night to mark the Fourth of July this year.

 

The biggest addition to the lineup comes at the end, with an inaugural fireworks display and cookout at Taconic Golf Club.

 

"I am just beyond tickled to announce that the Town of Williamstown and the Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary have come together with Taconic Golf Club to have fireworks in Williamstown on July 4," Selectwoman Jane Patton said at last week's meeting of the Board of Selectmen. "The hope here is to have this be an annual event.

 

"I am still kind of shaking my head because I needed 20 or so 'yeses,' and they just kept coming."

 

Patton is the member services and facility director at Taconic.

 

According to the Williamstown Chamber's website, there are nine "official" holiday events in a lineup sponsored by the chamber, MountainOne and Southwestern Vermont Medical Center.

 

The day starts with morning yoga and meditation on Williams College's Paresky Lawn at 8 a.m. and continues at 9 a.m. with a "Race for Independence" 5K fun run and mile fun walk starting at BeFitCo on Water Street.

 

From 9 to 11, Pine Cobble School and the Williams College Math Department offer Crafting for Kids on Spring Street.

 

At 11, the annual town Fourth of July Parade kicks off on Southworth Street, heads up Main and takes over Spring Street, culminating at the bottom of the street with a free barbecue at noon. The cookout is sponsored by Stop & Shop and the college, and the Capital Brass will provide music for the revelers.

 

At 1:30 at Williams Sawyer Library, actors from the Williamstown Theatre Festival will, as usual, perform dramatic readings of some of the founding documents. This year, the documents will include the Declaration of Independence, the British reply and selections from "What to a Slave is the Fourth of July," a speech by Frederick Douglass.

 

At 2:30, Images Cinema will offer a free screening of the Sundance Film Festival's Short Film Tour.

 

At 5:30, the grounds open at Taconic Golf Club open for fun and games.

 

"There will be available an all-you-can eat buffet for purchase, and obviously there will be drinks," Patton said. "The Flatbed Jazz Band has agreed to play. The Williamstown Theatre Festival is pulling together some of their apprentices and interns to sing for their supper.

 

"There will be games. Kids can play soccer and Wiffle Ball and Frisbee on the fairways. We've got two new cornhole games."

 

Patton said visitors will be able to bring lawn chairs and blankets, but outside food and drink are prohibited.

 

If you want to picnic instead, the Clark Art Institute will offer the first of its series of free outdoor family concerts at 6:30 when it presents Bennington, Vt.,-based Beatles cover band Across the Pond. As always, picnics are allowed and light refreshments will be available.

 

The crowd on the 18th fairway at Taconic is likely to grow as the sun sets and the 9:30 fireworks approach.

 

"The Police Department is helping out, [Fire] Chief [Craig] Pedercini was beyond enthusiastic and helpful," Patton said.

 

"I really hope this is the start of a very long tradition."