A melting pot of Independence Day celebrations.

While many South Bay cities celebrate the Fourth of July with fireworks and community fairs, a Wilmington museum is putting the spotlight on two major Civil War battles and 19th-Century traditions.

American dances and Mexican fandangos will be performed, and a nine-member group dressed like Civil War soldiers will play rock and roll.

“My idea was to try to unite the community,” said Marge O’Brien, director of the Drum Barracks Civil War Museum at 1052 Banning Blvd. Noting that Wilmington is a melting pot of cultures, she said, “Here is a way we can all be united, whatever our ethnic background, and say this is our hometown.”

Clogging, she said, is typically American. The fandango is reminiscent of the Californios who inhabited the state before it became a part of the United States. “The older people will enjoy hearing ‘Battle Hymn of the Republic,’ and we can capture the young through the rock and roll of the Horse Soldiers,” she said.

The celebration happens on Saturday--not the traditional holiday--beginning at 10 a.m. on the patio of the museum.

One of the Civil War battles that will be highlighted is Gettysburg, in which the Confederate forces of Gen. Robert E. Lee were defeated on July 3, 1863. O’Brien said that crucial battle had some connections to the Drum Barracks, which is all that remains of a large Civil War-era fort that once had 19 buildings on 60 acres in Wilmington.

“There were generals here that were also at Gettysburg,” she said, adding that Col. Irwin Gregg, a Gettysburg hero, was commander at the barracks after the war. The other battle to be commemorated is Vicksburg, which was fought on the Fourth of July, the day after Gettysburg. Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant captured the Mississippi River city.

Fred and Marga Jean Martin, who specializes in portraying Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln, will be on hand, and Fred Martin will recite the Gettysburg Address.

The museum event is not the only one scheduled this holiday weekend.

The man who led the movement for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington will be honored at the Palos Verdes Independence Day Celebration on Monday at 10 a.m. at Malaga Cove School, 300 Paseo del Mar, Palos Verdes Estates. Jan C. Scruggs, president of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, will receive the Kenneth T. Norris Jr. Heritage of Freedom Award.

The day also will include the reading of essays by schoolchildren, music by the Palos Verdes Symphonic Band, a bicycle parade and picnicking.

Lomita will combine the Fourth of July celebration with its own 24th birthday as a city, celebrating Founders Day on Sunday starting at 10 a.m. at Lomita Park, 24428 Eshelman Ave. Events include a craft show, food booths, dog obedience and retrieval demonstrations, classic ‘50s car show, music, dancing, clowns and fireworks at dusk.

Lawndale will offer a Fourth of July dance for senior citizens Monday from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Prairie Avenue Community Center, 15331 Prairie Ave. A $2 donation is requested.

Elsewhere in Lawndale, impersonations of Elvis Presley, Richie Valens, Hank Williams and the Beatles will be performed by the Tribute to the Legends group at 7 p.m. Monday at the Leuzinger High School football field, Rosecrans and Larch avenues. Doors open at 5 p.m.

A Country Fair Independence Day with arts and crafts, music, midway, food and information booths by a variety of organizations will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday at Rancho Palos Verdes City Hall, 30940 Hawthorne Blvd.

The Fourth of July observance in San Pedro will be held at the Korean Friendship Bell at 37th Street and Gaffey Avenue in Angels Gate Park on Monday at 10:30 a.m. Choral groups will sing, and the bell will be rung 13 times in honor of the 13 original colonies. Speakers include Taehei Park, deputy consul general of Korea, and Rear Adm. John Higginson, commander of the U.S. Naval Surface Group in Long Beach.

Torrance will have a “Songs Bursting in Air” sing-along Monday from noon to 4 p.m. at Torrance Park, 2001 Santa Fe Ave.

At dusk Monday, fireworks will light up the South Bay sky from several sites:

Carson--Olympic Velodrome at Cal State Dominguez Hills, Victoria Street east of Avalon Boulevard. Also bicycle racing and a concert by Carson-Dominguez Symphony Orchestra. Gates open at 4:30 p.m.

El Segundo--Recreation Park, 401 Sheldon St. Also crafts and food booths, entertainment, sports. Begins at 11 a.m.

Gardena--Rowley Park, 13220 S. Van Ness Ave. at 132nd Street. Also food and game booths, races. Starts 1 p.m.

Inglewood--Centinela Park baseball diamond No. 1, 700 Warren Lane. Pre-fireworks show and entertainment at 6 p.m. Also picnicking, swimming, sports. Begins at 11 a.m.

San Pedro--Cabrillo Beach, 3720 Stephen M. White Drive. Fireworks at 9 p.m.

Torrance--Wilson Park, 2200 Crenshaw Blvd. Fireworks at 9 p.m. Also “Spirit of America” 5-K and children’s run at 8 a.m.; carnival booths, games, entertainment beginning at noon.

The fireworks show at El Camino College Stadium, sponsored by the South Torrance Lions Club, charges $6 for adult admission, $3, ages 6 to 12; free under 6. Proceeds go to the Torrance/South Bay YMCA, Lions Club blind and hearing-impaired programs, and school drug abuse programs.