Check your calendar closely.

This year’s Festival of America is coming Friday and Saturday, June 30 and July 1.

This year’s July 4 Independence Day holiday falls on Tuesday. Chamber of Commerce officials don’t think their annual festival would get good attendance if it were held on a Tuesday, as the work week is split in two.

But there are some real treats to come on the two new dates, the Friday and Saturday just before July 4:

The fireworks over the dam will fire off just after the Laser Light Show Saturday evening, about 10:30 p.m.

In the park below the Visitor Center at Grand Coulee Dam, there’s a full set of music performances both evenings.

Friday, June 30, tenor Joseph Saachi and mezzo-soprano Marija Bonsnar, with Michael Plagerman at the keyboard, will perform from 5 to 6:30 p.m., with the Spokane River Band performing from 7:45 to 9:45.

On Saturday, the 3D Band will kick off the music program, from 4:45 to 6:45, with Jesse Quandt performing from 7:45 to 9:45.

The Beer Garden returns to the Melody Restaurant site.

The park below the Visitor Center will be packed with arts and craft vendors and food stalls.

Remember to mark your calendar for the change of dates.

Watch for The Star’s special section next week.

• by Roger S. Lucas

The circus is coming to town, and no, not your in-laws. An actual circus! The Culpepper & Merriweather Circus, to be exact. Complete with lions, tigers, a huge tent, and a variety of other entertainment.

The circus will take place at North Dam Park on Thursday, June 8, with two 90-minute shows starting at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

The circus has been featured on National Geographic’s Explorer television series, Entertainment Tonight, the A&E special “Under the Big Top,” and in “On the Road with Circus Kids,” a Nickelodeon special.

A press release from Culpepper & Merriweather said that additional acts will include trapeze, prancing ponies, unicycles, a female contortionist, and tightrope walkers. Original music, a giant tent, elaborate costumes, and original music complete the experience.

Between 9:30 and 10 a.m. the curious are welcome to watch the raising of the big tent and receive a free tour, offering the opportunity to learn all about the circus, including topics such as the hygiene, grooming, and veterinary care of all the animals.

The Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce was approached in December by Culpepper & Merriweather about hosting the circus while they were in the surrounding area. The chamber said yes, agreeing to provide running water, a dumpster, and to dispose of the animal waste. A check for $290 from the Chamber may be refunded if there are enough ticket sales to cover all the expenses.

The event marks the first time a full-fledged circus has been in the area since the last millennium.

Tickets are available for purchase at Coulee Dam Federal Credit Union, H&H Grocery, Coulee Hardware, The Star newspaper, Loepp’s Furniture, the Nespelem Trading Post, the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce, Coulee Medical Center, Grand Coulee Dam Senior Center. Advance tickets are $10 for adults, and $7 for seniors and children ages 2-12. Children under two get in free. On show day, tickets will be $13 for adults and $8 for seniors and children.