This story originally appeared in the Armed Forces 2016 Festival Guide, published May 20, 2016.

The 68th annual Armed Forces Day Parade starts at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 21 in Bremerton.

Events are planned. Everything’s in place. So why not make this weekend all about Armed Forces Day?

The parade is the big thing. But there are many other activities to watch or take part in.

Here’s the line up:

• 7 a.m. to 10 a.m.: Bremerton Lions Pancake Breakfast at Fourth Street between Washington and Pacific.

• 7:30 a.m.: 5K run sponsored by the Fast Attack Run Club on PSNS (through the tunnel then on to Manette).

• 10 a.m.: Kitsap Credit Union 68th annual Armed Forces Day Parade (downtown.)

• 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.: Puget Sound Energy Heroes’ Barbecue on Pacific Avenue between Burwell and Fourth.

• 6 p.m.: Navy League Gala, Admiral Theatre, 515 Pacific Ave.

But don’t stop there. Bremerton has many things to do downtown to fill your day.

Downtown, the town’s connection to the Navy, is made even more apparent. The sail of the USS Parche — a decommissioned Sturgeon-class nuclear submarine — rises from the concrete near the Bremerton Ferry Terminal. A short walk away is the Harborside Fountain Park which features mesmerizing synchronized water fountains. Each artistic fountain mimics the shape of a submarine sail.

Nearby is the Puget Sound Navy Museum, which tells the story of the U.S. Navy and the Pacific Northwest’s naval heritage.

The museum’s feature exhibit is on the USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74), which gives visitors an idea of what life is like aboard a nuclear aircraft carrier, including how sailors sleep, eat, and what their missions are like. A special exhibit, “When Baseball Went to War,” is open through the summer.

Admission to the museum is free. It is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visit www.pugetsound navymuseum.org for more information.

Just outside the museum, a harbor boardwalk leads one past the Bremerton Ferry Terminal. Washington’s famed ferries can whisk vehicles and foot passengers to downtown Seattle in about 55 minutes.

Further along the walkway is the Bremerton marina, and also the USS Turner Joy (DD-951), a Forrest Sherman class destroyer that served 1958-1982. One-hour tours of the ship are conducted regularly.

The Turner Joy was the first ship in action in the Vietnam War and was involved in the Gulf of Tonkin Incident. Visit www.ussturner joy.org for more information about this historic ship.

The Bremerton Harborside District also features several coffee shops, gift stores, restaurants, two major hotels and two brew pubs.