People joke that there are two seasons in the Catskills: winter and the Fourth of July. But the summer is glorious, and never more so than on Independence Day. Towns across the region are putting on their best faces for the big weekend; a squirrel could probably jump from Kingston to Oneonta on red-white-and-blue bunting. There are so many festivals happening than we can't do justice to them all. But we've picked out a few of our favorites below -- and for more Fourth festivities, check out our calendar.
Margaretville Firemen's Carnival
The good firemen of Margaretville take the Fourth of July very seriously, putting on a week-long carnival that features live music, a killer view from the Ferris wheel, and two nights of blitzkreig fireworks that boom with great fortitude off the sides of the mountains. Enjoy a $3 burger, prove your mettle at the strongman hammer, and brave the Tilt-A-Whirl. Advanced practitioners: See if you can tell the bona fide locals from the weekend fauxcals in John Deere gear.
Tuesday through Sunday. Wednesday and Friday 6-10pm, and both weekend days 1-5pm, are Pay One Price-- $15 for all the rides your stomach can handle.
Hiking Retreat with Robert Thurman
If you'd rather sit under the Bodhi tree than stuff your face with fried dough, you might be a candidate for Tibet House's more contemplative weekend program. Renowned Buddhism professor Robert Thurman (also the father of one of Hollywood's brightest lights) often leads retreats at the Menla Mountain Center in Phoenicia. Over the Fourth weekend, he'll be leading an ambulatory retreat up the side of Pantherkill Mountain, where participants will hike, meditate, have a little obligatory BBQ, and study the Holy Teaching of Vimalakirti. At $290 per person, the three-day retreat is pricey -- but how often do you get the chance to share a canteen with one of the West's leading Buddhist scholars?
5pm Friday through 1pm Sunday.
Sunday, 10:30am to 5pm Independence Day at Hanford Mills Ever sticklers for authentic, period-correct fun, the Hanford Mills Museum instructs sternly that if you wish to participate in frog-jumping, you must BRING YOUR OWN FROG. But even for the amphibian-less, this weekend should be a rollicking good time. There will be tintype photo portraits. There will be steam engine demonstrations. There will be ice-cream making, with ice harvested from the pond in winter and packed lovingly away in sawdust for this very occasion. And in case you forget what the holiday is really about amid the hoopla, they'll be reading the Declaration of Independence aloud at noon. Sunday, 10am - 5pm. Saugerties Fourth of July Parade With the Fourth of July falling on a Sunday this year, it's shaping up to be a glorious three-day weekend. Still, most of the parades and festivals around the Catskills are happening on Saturday or Sunday. If by Monday you haven't had your fill of fireworks and funnel cake, head to Saugerties, where the main event is on the 5th. The parade kicks off at 11am from Saugerties High School with firetrucks and marching bands. Stick around for the festival at Cantine Field, featuring a Battle of the Bands at 4pm and fireworks at dusk. Monday, 11am - dusk.
In Sullivan County, the main action is at the annual Liberty Festival, a street fair decked out with fiddles, floats and street performers of all persuasions. The cream of the county's automotive crop will be on display, as vintage cars, tractors, fire engines and motorcycles parade down Main Street and get buffed to a mirror-bright shine for the car show. Dozens of vendors will be hawking their wares in the streets, so if you're in the market for belt buckles and blow-up aliens, you're in luck. Be sure to check out the Kurpil Family Fiddlers on the stage in LaPolt Park. 
