West Side residents can begin celebrating the Fourth of July this weekend with the annual Independence Day parade and Prairie Township Firefighter Fish Fry.

The parade will begin at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, June 30, and will start at Lincoln Village Plaza, head west on West Broad Street end at Norton Middle School. The fish fry will be operating across the street on Inah Avenue starting at 11 a.m.

Prairie Township Fire Chief Steve Feustel, who is also this year's parade grand marshal, told residents at the June 27 Prairie Township trustees' meeting that the parade route is vastly different than in years past. The Westland Area Business Association (WABA) has scheduled the parade to coincide with the township's fish fry, he said.

"WABA has decided to reverse the direction of the parade," Feustel said. "You can follow the last fire truck to the fish fry. It is a big change, so make sure you tell your friends."

Previously, the parade has started at Westland High School, then moved east along West Broad Street to end at Lincoln Village Plaza. Now that pattern has been reversed, starting at Lincoln Village Plaza and ending at Norton Road, Feustel said.

He encouraged those at the meeting to tell their neighbors of the change before residents begin lining up along portions of West Broad Street where the parade will no longer go. The parade will once again feature marching bands from the South-Western City School district, floats and representatives from local organizations and businesses.

Feustel said the annual fish fry will be a two-day event beginning Friday, June 29, at 10:30 a.m. Fish sandwiches, hamburgers, hot dogs and all the fixings will be available both Friday and Saturday, as will entertainment for both adults and children.

The annual event will again feature its popular car show on Friday night. More than 150 entries are expected, Feustel said.

One of the major concerns over the weekend will be the heat.

"Anyone attending either event will need to make sure you are drinking lots of water," Feustel said. "We are going to be in a very hot and dry time period. We want to make sure people stay cool. We want you to have fun, but please be careful."

In other township business, trustees approved spending $2,870 for repairs to a collapsing ditch along Emmit Avenue.

They also approved the disposal of several items that are in disrepair or obsolete, including old computers and monitors. The hard drives to those computers were destroyed separately, township officials said.

The next regular trustees' meeting on July 11 will include a hearing for the 2013 budget. That meeting will start at 7 p.m. at 23 Maple Drive.