Fourth of July traditions will come a little early in some places on Whidbey Island this year.

Since the holiday falls on a Wednesday, there are several events that will get underway early, giving plenty of people time to get out and enjoy the fun.

• The thrills begin early for the annual 4th OH July celebration in Oak Harbor. The Davis Amusement Carnival opens daily at 11 a.m., beginning Friday, June 29 and running through July 4.

• The Coupeville Lions’ annual “Biggest and Best in Our World” Garage sale will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 30 and will continue from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, July 1 at the Coupeville Elementary School on S. Main Street just off Highway 20. A special preview will take place from noon to 6 p.m. Friday, June 29. The sale features tools, auto equipment, good used furniture, sporting goods, books and games, toys, electronics and appliances, exercise equipment, bikes and skates, collectables and much more. Items are collected for this event throughout the year. Call 360-678-4105 or go to www.coupvillelions.org/garagesale.htm for information.

• Those who work up an appetite at the Lions’ garage sale Saturday, June 30 can mosey across Highway 20 to 608 North Main Street, where the Coupeville United Methodist Church will be having its annual Strawberry Social from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be homemade waffles, shortcakes and ice cream sundaes topped with local strawberries and whipped cream. Cost is $7 for a full order and $5 for a half order. Takeout orders will be available. Proceeds go to support missionaries in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Africa.

• There’s also something for art lovers to enjoy in Coupeville. Island Artists will hold their annual art show on June 29, 30 and July 1, at the Coupeville Recreation Hall. Their featured painting is a group painting to which all the artists contributed. They will also feature miniatures. For more information, call 360-678-0960.

• If you’re looking for a little something different before kicking off your Independence Day festivities, Meerkerk Gardens in Greenbank can provide beautiful music. From noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 30, the Whidbey Island Orchestra, under the direction of Chris Harshman, will perform. Bring a blanket or a chair, pack a lunch and relax in the splendor of Meerkerk Gardens. Admission is $10; children 15 years and under are free. Dogs on a leash are welcome.

• All those interested are welcome to Celebrate America Tuesday, July 3 at Freeland Park. This free event, sponsored by South Whidbey Assembly, gets underway at about 2 p.m. with fun and family activities and bouncy house for children until 7 p.m. Food vendors open at 4 p.m. The roads around the park will close at 4:30 p.m. and a shuttle will begin running from the Freeland Park n’ Ride and the Island Transit stop in front of Payless. The boat ramp will be closed.

Entertainment for this year’s celebration includes local pop rock group Baby Island, who will play at 6 p.m. John Fox will present a fantastic Yo-Yo show at 7:20 p.m. and Seattle steel drum band The Toucans will take the stage at 8:40 p.m. The patriotic program will begin at 10 p.m. when award-winning contemporary Christian singer and songwriter Kelsie Geer sings the National Anthem, followed by a fireworks show over Holmes Harbor. Bring lawn chairs or a blanket and food, fun and a wholesome evening of entertainment. Call 360-221-1656 or visit www.swag-online.org for information.

• If you’ve saved all your celebrating for the middle of the week, you’re in luck. 4th OH July activities on Wednesday, July 4 get going early, with a Rotary pancake breakfast from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the YMCA at 540 SE Pioneer Way in downtown Oak Harbor. The carnival and the vendor marketplace at Windjammer Park open at 11 a.m. and the Grand Parade begins at 11 a.m. as well. This year’s parade will begin on Pioneer Way, then turn onto Bayshore Avenue before getting back onto Pioneer Way.

Family fun and games will be available to play from 2 to 5 p.m. at Windjammer Park, and will include an egg toss, jalapeño and watermelon eating contests and more.

The main attraction, as always, will be the Whidbey Coffee/Whidbey Island Bank Grand Fireworks display, which begins at about 10:30 p.m., when $15,000 of pyrotechnics will be detonated.

“We’re just going to do a traditional, old fashioned 4th of July,” said Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jill Johnson. “I can’t think of a better way to spend the middle of the week. We’re feeling pretty patriotic down here.”