Go West Guide to Independence Day Fun
Tara Burghart Tuesday, June 28, 2011 at 6:00AM The Fourth of July is Monday, but of course the holiday fun will get underway in just a few days. Here’s a list of celebrations, parades and fireworks we know about, listed in chronloigcal order, with fireworks toward the end of each day's listing. (Click on the links for full details.) If you know of an event that should be on this list, please share in the comments section. Happy Birthday to the USA!
Friday, July 1
Photo by SJ Photography on Flickr.Ribfest, put on by the Naperville Exchange Club, will take place in Naperville’s Knoch Park from July 1 through July 4. Admission at the gates is $12 per person, with children 11 and under free. The event includes music, lots of BBQ and a family area with a carnival, inflatables, circus aerial show, magic show and hands-on activities tent. Click here for detailed info on the festival; see July 4 for info on the fireworks.
The Sandwich Freedom Days get underway on July 1 and run through Sunday, July 3. The community festival is held at Railroad and Main in Sandwich.
The Kane County Cougars are home versus Beloit at 7 p.m. and will have fireworks after the game.
Saturday, July 2
Ribfest in Naperville continues. See July 1.
Sandwich Freedom Days festival continues. See July 1.
The Aurora Historical Society is organizing a “Civil War Weekend” on July 2 and July 3 on the grounds of the Tanner House Museum at Oak and Cedar in Aurora. There will be a field hospital demonstration, encampment, Civil War reenactors, dramatic readings of letters from the Civil War and a band concert by the 33rd Illinois Regimental Band Reenactors. The cost is $7 for adults and $5 for students ages 7-17, with children under 7 free.
Kline Creek Farm in West Chicago will be celebrating Independence Day in the style of the 1890s, with music and speeches, including a reading of the Declaration of Independence. Bring a picnic and help make ice cream. The free event will be held from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, with a ceremony at 2:30 p.m.
The Kane County Cougars are home versus Beloit at 6 p.m. and will have fireworks after the game.
Sunday, July 3
Ribfest in Naperville continues. See July 1.
The Civil War Weekend in Aurora continues. See July 2.
The 1890s-style celebration continues at Kline Creek Farm. See July 2.
Sandwich Freedom Days continues. See July 1.
The city of Wheaton will get its celebration underway on Sunday at Graf Park, adjacent to the DuPage County Fairgrounds. Starting at 6 p.m. carnival rides, arcade games and concessions will be available in the park, along with running races. Fireworks are scheduled to start at about 8:45 p.m.
The Kane County Cougars are home versus the Quad Cities at 6 p.m. and will have fireworks after the game.
Monday, July 4
Ribfest in Naperville continues. See July 1.
Elgin’s annual parade steps off at 9 a.m. Monday at the corner of Slade and Douglas Avenues and then proceeds down Douglas Avenue to Highland. The theme is “Toys on Parade.”
The city of Yorkville’s 4th of July celebration steps off Monday at 9 a.m. near Yorkville High School. The route will then follow Game Farm Road to Somonauk Street to King Street to West Main Street to Church Street, ending at the water tower. Following the parade, kids can compete in foot faces in the Town Square Park, where the Yorkille Community Band will also perform. Kids rides and games will be available in Town Square Park until p.m. Fireworks will begin at dusk and are best viewed from Countryside Center Mall.
Aurora’s parade will step off at 10 a.m. Monday at the corner of Benton and River streets, marching east to Broadway Avenue, north to Galena, west to Stolp, south to Downer Place and conclude by heading west to Middle Avenue.
After Aurora’s parade, the William Tanner House Museum at Oak and Cedar in Aurora will be open from noon to 3 p.m. for tours, a petting zoo, comic juggler, activities for kids, a ringing of the bells and food and drink. There is no admission fee for this Independence Day Celebration.
Wheaton’s parade will step off at 10 a.m. on Monday in downtown, running along Main Street. The theme is “Fabric of America.”
Cantigny Park in Wheaton has a “Patriotic Celebration” that gets underway at noon Monday. The event will feature lots of children activities (inflatables, painting, ringing a “Liberty Bell’). The Illinois Brass Band will play patriotic music starting at 3 p.m. The events and parking will be free all day on July 4.
Aurora's evening program will start at 6 p.m. at the Illinois Math & Science Academy at 1500 W. Sullivan Road. There will be food vendors, live entertainment and inflatables, a concert at 7 p.m. by the band Second Time Around, a performance at 8:30 p.m. by the American Legion Post 84 band and fireworks at 9:30 p.m. Click here for info on shuttle buses to the IMSA campus.
The celebration in St. Charles centers around Pottawatomie Park, where the Fox Valley Concert Band will perform at 4 p.m. and the Red Woody band will follow at 6 p.m. Fireworks at dark are best viewed from Pottawatomie or at Ferson Creek Park.
The Kane County Cougars are home versus the Quad Cities at 6 p.m. and will have fireworks after the game.
The fireworks in Batavia are to begin promptly at 9:30 p.m. Monday in Engstrom Park, at the corner of Millview and Main streets, will open at 5 p.m. with a local band taking the stage at 7 p.m. Another option for viewing is the athletic fields on the west side of Batavia High School along Main Street.
The fireworks at Ribfest in Naperville are scheduled to begin at 9:30 p.m. Monday in Knoch Park. While it costs $12 to enter the festival over the weekend, free public access for the fireworks will start at 7:30 p.m. on Monday.
Oswego’s fireworks are scheduled to begin at 9:30 p.m. on Monday, with the fireworks being launched from Prairie Point Park. Both the park and Prairie Point Elementary School are good viewing points.
Reader Comments (2)
Thanks for posting such a comprehensive list of 4th of July activities in the area. I emailed the list to several neighbors who are new to Fox Valley and they LOVE it. So helpful!!!
So glad you enjoyed it, Beth, and thanks so much for passing it along. I think it has a nice balance of big events (like Ribfest) and small celebrations, too. I'm a sucker for history, so the events at Kline Creek Farm and the Tanner Museum look great to me!