Jiggle Jam Family Music Festival is the largest family music festival in the Midwest, recognized by publications throughout the nation. It has become “the destination” for family fun over Memorial Day weekend, with more than 30,000 people in attendance.

The fifth annual Jiggle Jam Family Music Fest giggles and wiggles and jiggles into downtown Kansas City with one overall goal: to bring generations of families together for a good time.

The festival comes to life at Crown Center Square, with youth-oriented performances on three stages, by national and local bands. Jiggle Jam features educational music, dance, crafts, train rides, musical chairs and exercise workshops.

Children's organizations present interactive activities, and the grounds of Crown Center Square are set up with bubble tents and bouncy toys.

Jefferson City's 2012 Juneteenth Heritage Celebration kicks off June 10, 2 p.m., with the annual Juneteenth Father's Day Awards Banquet , at the Lincoln University Scruggs Student Center. Tickets: $15; younger than 13, $10.

The celebration continues at Lincoln University's Soldiers Memorial Plaza with an Emancipation Program, June 15, 5:30 p.m. This program honors men and women who have served and are serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. The featured speeker is Tuskegee Airmen James Shipley. Following at 7 p.m., the Little Mr. and Little Miss Pageant is held at Lincoln University's Scruggs Student Center. Boys and girls ages 4-9 are eligible.

June 16, 11 a.m., the Juneteenth Heritage Festival takes place at 608 E. Dunklin Street. It features a Juneteenth's Got Talent competition. (Auditions are May 26, May 30, and June 2 at the Coca Cola Community Room, 605 Washington Street.) Entertainment includes Footprints Project, dance groups, DJ Rhonda Harper, a ventriloquist, and other acts.

The festival concludes with the entertainment of jazz musician Lonnie McFadden, 8 p.m., at the Truman Hotel. Tickets are $35. The opening act showcases local artist Glover Brown, and Maggie George-Murray.

North Kansas City’s CentennialFest is a celebration 100 years in the making. Talk about lots to keep you busy: a carnival; a variety of concerts and stage performances; KidZone, with pony rides and a petting zoo; puppet shows; a 5k fun run; farmers market; a firemen’s rodeo; car shows; an art show; food and drink stands; vendors of all types; and fireworks shows.

A featured attraction is the Vietnam Memorial Wall that Heals; open 24 hours each day on the North Kansas City High School football field. This is a half-scale, traveling replica of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington D.C.

Take a lawn chair and have a great time.

Find details and schedules on the website and the Facebook page.

Activities Include: traditional tradesmen and artisans dressed in 19th century attire, demonstrating "lost arts"; entertainment on two stages; an 1859 town with reenactors; cowboy chuck wagon; Lewis & Clark outpost; “Fun for Young'uns Area” (stilts, paper pumpkins, milk the "cow," rope making, candle dipping, candy in the haystack, hayrides, and other activities); museum and village tours; great food. There are ghost stories, Saturday, 8 p.m.-9:30 p.m. This event is presented in Nifong Park.

For details and a full schedule, please see our website.

Heritage Days feature a parade; carnival; wine and beer gardens; craft, commercial, flea market and political booths; and food and drink vendors.

New events are added periodically to keep the festival fresh and to offer something for everyone, in a family friendly atmosphere. Activities that might be added, included: a classic car show; professional and amateur art show; karaoke contest; quilt show; Mutt Strut (dog show); Little Miss and Mister contest; tours of historic properties; free entertainment; static displays; 5K walk/run; and old timers baseball game.

Events take place downtown and in Kemper Park.

This event was voted as the Central Region's Best Festival by Rural Missouri Magazine.

This Independence Day Celebration kicks off July 4, at 7 a.m., with the Freedom 4-Miler and a one-mile family fun run. Following the runs, the 135th annual Veiled Prophet Parade, themed “Around the World,” steps off at 10 a.m., in downtown St. Louis.

At noon, the first of two air shows, including top civilian performers and military aircraft, takes place at Fair Saint Louis. The fair features local and national entertainment, Kids Town and other activities, on the grounds of the Gateway Arch.

Live concerts on the Budweiser Main Stage under the Arch.

• July 4: Heart
  
• July 6: Third Eye Blind
  
• July 7: Dierks Bentley
  

All shows begin at 8 p.m. Each evening concludes with the star-spangled US Bank/Enterprise Rent-A-Car fireworks display at approximately 9:15 p.m.

One of Central Missouri's largest fall festivals, this event draws thousands of festival-goers from all over the state and beyond. This year, the event from Oct. 5-7 focuses on a Jamaican theme; events take place in and around the downtown area.

Friday events include: an apple-pie-baking contest; a car cruise and sock hop, the Apple Darlin and Apple Dumplin contest, live music, the stage production "9 to 5" (presented at the Royal Theatre) and crowning of the festival's king and queen.

On Saturday, events include the pancake breakfast, 5K run, a two-mile walk, a fiddlers contest, German dinner, the Big Boys Car Show, a figure 8 auto race, a demo from canine search and rescue teams, and more than 250 vendor and craft booths. The Morgan County Museum will be open for tours; the Fun Zone will be open for kids and pony rides will be offered (happening around courthouse square).

Also Saturday, the Apple Festival parade begins at 10 a.m. Throughout the event, mini stages will offer a variety of local talent performing bluegrass, gospel, blues and jazz music. "9 to 5" also will be presented Saturday night.

Sunday offers a three-person scramble golf outing at the Rolling Hills Country Club in Versailles. For more information, please call the Versailles Area Chamber of Commerce at 573-378-4401 or visit our website.

There's no admission charge to this arts and crafts showcase, which features nearly 300 booths and demonstrations of all kinds. Many of the demonstrations depict a late 1800s-early 1900s theme. The two-day event features a parade at 10 a.m. Saturday morning, along with country music, dancing, period entertainment, horse-and-mule-obstacle-course demonstrations, threshing, an antique tractor show, and a variety of food and drink.

Many of the activities take place on the grounds around the former Boegel Hine Flour Mill (now known as Fair Grove's Wommack Mill), but the Fair Grove District Park property, located southwest of the show area, will be used for some events, including the antique tractor competition and pony rides.

Trolleys will be available to take guests from outlying parking lots to the show areas.

Fair Grove is located approximately 12 miles north of Springfield, just east of Route 65, on Route 125.

Celebrate the fall season at Missouri Town’s largest outdoor festival. Hot-spiced cider, 1850’s music and dance, children’s games, period arts and crafts, horse-drawn buggy rides and fun-filled hay rides make this a special weekend event. Celebrating its 37th year, Missouri Town’s Fall Festival is one of the region’s longest consecutive festivals. Admission is $9 per car/van; $20 per school/commercial bus.

A variety of citywide activities: arts and crafts vendors; a family fun walk; beauty pageants; baby and toddler contests; and lip-sync competition. Includes the largest parade in southwest Missouri.

The annual Maple Leaf Festival draws nearly 80,000 visitors to Carthage.