Get in a proper Asian-culture mindset for that Lakewood Public Library screening of Godzilla tonight by either watching or participating in the annual Cleveland Dragon Boat Festival, beginning at 10 a.m. and continuing until about 7 or 8 p.m. Chinese dragon boat racing involves teams of 22 paddling 40-foot boats with colorful dragon heads on the prows, in 500-meter heats. In this outpost of the Peoples' Republic, it takes place on the Cuyahoga River; assemble on the West Bank of the Flats by the Powerhouse (2000 Sycamore St.), where the Ichi Taiko Japanese drummers will be performing. No experience is necessary to take part, just a $45 entry fee (proceeds go to the Gathering Place for cancer survivors), but the Cleveland Rowing Foundation will hold training sessions in the days before the big race. Call the festival hotline at 216.534.8715 or go to clevelanddragonboatfestival.com for info. We're not kidding about the Godzilla screening (6 p.m., free to the public at 15425 Detroit Ave.), which is the non-dubbed 1954 original. But we kinda miss Raymond Burr. - Charles Cassady Jr.

THURSDAY, JULY 3

Thaddeus Rex

Considering rock stars are known more for playing video games and watching porn DVDs than reading books on their tour buses, "Read Like a Rockstar" wouldn't seem to be something you'd want to encourage kids to do. But that's what the ebullient performer known as Thaddeus Rex does in his concerts, assemblies and programs of the same name. T-Rex, as he's known for short, was inspired by his participation on the Indiana PBS kids show The Friday Zone to launch a fulltime career as a children's music artist. Since doing so in 2003, he's kept up a heavy touring schedule performing for kids and families around the country, using his trusty guitar and self-penned songs to get children excited about reading by emphasizing the books that inspired his songs and encouraging audience participation. He even solicits poems from kids, some of which he's turned into songs, as part of his "Write Like a Rockstar" program. Parents, if your kid tells you after the show that rock stars don't clean their rooms, you can contact Mr. Rex at thaddeusrex.com to complain. He'll be at Cain Park's Alma Theater (Lee and Superior roads, Cleveland Heights, 216.371.3000) at 1 p.m. for a Kidzart show, and a 7 p.m. show for kids who can stay up a little later. Tickets: $3 kids, $6 adults for the 1 p.m. show; $8 adults, $5 kids for the 7 p.m. show. - Anastasia Pantsios

FRIDAY, JULY 4

Red, White and Zoo weekend

Red pandas, white storks and blue poison frogs add up to a colorful weekend at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (3900 Wildlife Way, 216.661.6500, clemetzoo.com). Taking advantage of the Independence Day holiday, the zoo's hosting a patriotic festival, dubbed Red, White and Zoo, with extended hours from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. all weekend. Celebration starts at the ticket plaza where anyone wearing red, white or blue gets $2 off the regular $10 adult or $6 ages 2-11 admission. Once inside, zoo critters will be saluting the holiday in various ways including sea lions performing to patriotic tunes and bears consuming red-white-and-blue ice snacks. But will they be wearing their flag lapel pins? Admission to the special exhibit Touch! Amazing Rays and Sharks is two-for-one all weekend, and the first 2,000 kids through the gate today get a free flag. - AP

Fourth of July Family Fest

Last year Uncle John shot his hand off and this year you're thinking about a cooler place to take the kids for fireworks. Pack up a blanket and go down to the Flats for a real live fireworks show. For five years, RTA has hosted Family Fest at Settler's Landing as part of Cleveland's July 4th fireworks celebration. Families are smart to ride the Waterfront Line to Settler's Station. (Parking downtown will be next to impossible.) The festival runs from 6 p.m. until dusk; fireworks begin at 9:45. Included is a 12-piece Sousa band, family activities, giveaways, prizes, refreshments and a WNCX live broadcast. RTA will be running extra trains before and after the fireworks to make travel to and from the Flats fast and convenient. For the sweetest seats, head to the Plain Dealer Pavilion, Shooters and the Nautica Boardwalk on the West Bank, Settlers Landing on the East Bank, and Whiskey Island. Go to clevelandflats.org for info. - Jara Anton

Independence Day Fireworks

You can practically stand in your front yard and look in any direction tonight to engage in one of Northeast Ohio's favorite pastimes: watching fireworks. To the west, Put-in-Bay on South Bass Island and Cedar Point Amusement Park will both host displays. To the east, the Lake County resort town of Geneva-on-the-Lake has its annual display at the golf course. There'll be fireworks at the Captains Ballpark in Eastlake and at the Tri-C West campus in Parma. Mentor's display at Civic Center Park (8500 Civic Center Blvd.) caps its 6:30-10 p.m. Family 4th Festival. One of the best annual shows is Euclid's, at Euclid Memorial Park off 222nd Street. Almost all start at dusk - between 9:30-10 p.m. You've got no excuse to blow your fingers off with those homemade fireworks. - AP

SUNDAY, JULY 6

Bras Across the Cuyahoga

The connection between bras and breast cancer is obvious. So the Northern Ohio Breast Cancer Coalition (nobcc.org), a survivors' group that raises funds for research, education and services for patients, is holding its annual Bras Across the Cuyahoga 5K and 1K walk/run today. Registration starts at 7 a.m. at the Nautica Entertainment Complex, West Bank of the Flats (or go to the Web site to register). The race starts at 8 and it concludes with a ceremony at 11. In addition to monetary donations, the group is collecting bras for women's shelters and hats, scarves and wigs for patients, which can be brought to the event. Registration fee: $35. Call 440.717.9962 for more info. - AP

MONDAY, JULY 7

NOAC film series

With the closing of the venerable Bookstore on West 25th Street, readers should take a cue from those Clintonites now pulling for Obama and throw their support to another candidate for Cleveland book-lovers' paradise. It's Visible Voice Books (1023 Kenilworth Ave., Tremont, 216.961.0084), with its mix of alternative/antiquarian literature, comfy furnishings and even a new wine bar. And Visible Voice hosts special events, such as today's kickoff to a free film series sponsored by the Northeast Ohio Anti-War Coalition (NOAC). The quartet of nonfiction cinema starts with Meeting Resistance, an expose of the US occupation of Iraq and who the real thieves of Baghdad are. July 14 musters Sir! No Sir!, about the sustained and extensive anti-Vietnam War opposition within the US armed forces, where leftie newsletters, pirate radio, officer fragging and internal sabotage made John Kerry shucking his medals look small-time (this film says the enduring anecdote of returning vets spat on by hippies was propaganda manufactured by the right). July 21 brings The Fourth World War, a globetrotting survey of the "War on Terror," and on July 28, the series concludes with Shocking and Awful, a collection of segments by the grassroots Satellite TV network Deep Dish that takes aim at Gulf War II and the mainstream media's lapdoggish support for the initial invasion. Showtime: 7:30 p.m. For info call 216.707.1138. - CC

No fireworks?: Meeting Resistance and other anti-war films screen on Mondays at Visible Voice Books.