4th of July Parade

ALERT: Due to significantly diminished participation numbers, this year’s 4th of July Parade has been canceled and replaced with a 4th of July Celebration at Panton Mill Park from 11am-Noon.

NOT AN EASY DECISION: With 26 total participants registered for the 2022 parade, the Village Board of Trustees and Village President considered the impact of a 10-minute parade, the efforts by residents and guests to gather for a mini-parade, the re-routing of Spring Street traffic, the police and emergency management staffing required, and chose by consensus to alter this year’s plan.

THE NEW PLAN FOR MONDAY, JULY 4, 2022: The South Elgin High School Marching Storm will perform at the Panton Mill Park soundstage between 11am-Noon. They had already committed to the parade, and we’re grateful for their willingness to participate, adapt and provide a classic, patriotic celebration! Along with their rousing performance, the other 25 parade participants have been invited to set-up their floats or decorated vehicles at Panton Mill Park for something akin to a reverse parade – where folks can walk past the participants, learn about their business or organization or simply admire their organization’s 4th of July display. Parks and Rec staff are working on refreshment options and other additions to this year’s celebration as well.

LOOKING BACK. LOOKING AHEAD: Previous 4th of July Parades had 60-80 participants compared to this year’s 26 total. Village staff contacted previous parade participants directly and learned a variety of reasons for not joining this year’s event, including: staff shortages, different plans following a two-year COVID absence, out-of-town sports tournaments and competitions and more. The Village Board of Trustees, Village President and Village staff will try again next year and hope we can boost our parade participation to something closer to previous years. Until then, we do expect this year’s 4th of July Celebration at Panton Mill Park to be an enjoyable and festive gathering. And we welcome all to come down and join the fun.

NOTE: Fireworks will remain part of the End of Summer Music fest, Saturday, August 20 at 9:30pm. Please watch for additional 4th of July details over the next week or two. Thank you for understanding, South Elgin. See you July 4!