Communities across Minnesota will be celebrating the Fourth of July with parades, picnics and fireworks displays. While most fireworks are Friday night, a few cities will get an early jump on the holiday with shows Thursday. That includes the Stars and Stripes Days fireworks in Pequot Lakes beginning at dusk. On the Iron Range, the Aurora Patriotic Days fireworks begin at 10 p.m. and the Thunder Over Eveleth fireworks are at 10:15 p.m. In the Twin Cities, Bloomington’s annual Summer Fete is Friday evening.

Minneapolis police are hoping to avoid a repeat of the mayhem that plagued the last three July Fourth holidays. While gun-related crime in Minneapolis has spiked around July 4 for the past five years, crime statistics overall are trending downward.

Law enforcement is warning boaters it will be aggressively enforcing laws prohibiting impaired boating over the Independence Day weekend. The Department of Natural Resources is calling the campaign Operation Dry Water. It runs tomorrow through Monday.

The White Earth Nation opened its second, off-reservation recreational cannabis dispensary Thursday, this time in St. Cloud.