“Faces of Freedom Summer” at the Levine Museum.

Are you having a stay-vacation in the Queen City this Independence Day weekend? Have no fear, as there are plenty of July 4th-themed arts events to take part in, from the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra Summer Pops concert to the “Faces of Freedom Summer: The Photographs of Herbert Randall” exhibition at the Levine Museum of the New South. Here are just a few of the can’t-miss Independence Day celebrations:

• “Faces of Freedom Summer: The Photographs of Herbert Randall” is a visually stunning display of 102 photographs taken by Herbert Randall in Hattiesburg, Miss. during the summer of 1964. That summer, students of all races and backgrounds, voting-rights organizers and a coalition of local black residents joined together to secure voting rights for all Americans in the South. This exhibition closes August 17th. The Levine Museum of the New South is located at 200 E. Seventh St., Charlotte and will be closed on July 4th, but you can visit on the 3rd or 5th between 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
• Over The Counter Improv at the Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte will celebrate the holiday spirit on July 5th at 8 p.m., entertaining audiences with “an array of improve firework zingers. Humor will light up the sky and rain down laughs on the entire audience.” Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. The OTC does offer this disclaimer: “Humor may actually fizzle like a bottle rocket dud.”
• Romare Bearden Park’s “Music Box Lunch Series” will feature a July 4th performance of Dixieland Express from 12-1:30 p.m. This series is a small informal concert, featuring local and regional talent. Bring your lunch and enjoy the show.
• The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra will “Celebrate America!” with their Summer Pops concert on July 3rd from 8:15-9:45 p.m. at Symphony Park, SouthPark. Albert-George Schram will lead the CSO in American favorites like “The Liberty Fanfare,” “Armed Forces Salute,” “This Land is Your Land” and “America the Beautiful.” Tickets for adults are $15, and children under 18 get in free. A special fireworks display will light up the sky at the end of the show.

Summer Pops 2013. (C) Michael Harding, Genesis Group Photography