What’s a start to the holiday season without a full-blown fireworks display? In North Riverside, they don’t want to find out.
While Brookfield and Riverside have cancelled their holiday kickoff events, the village of North Riverside will still hold its annual tree-lighting ceremony and fireworks display – in a socially distanced fashion – on Wednesday, Dec. 2 at 7 p.m.
This is meant as a resident-only event and parking begins at 6 p.m. Cars must display a village of North Riverside vehicle sticker to be allowed in.
All vehicles must arrive from 26th Street and head northbound toward the Village Commons. Village staff will direct you where to park. You must stay in your vehicle during the event.
For those who would prefer to watch from their own homes, the tree lighting and fireworks will be livestreamed on the North Riverside Department of Parks and Recreation Facebook page at facebook.com/NRRecreation.
Mayor Hubert Hermanek Jr. will accompany Santa as they flip the switch to illuminate the blue spruce in front of the North Riverside Village Commons, which signals the start of the fireworks, which are being paid for by donations from a handful of companies, including the village’s former lobbying firm The Roosevelt Group, Federal Center (North Riverside Plaza), North Riverside Park Mall and West Town Bank.
The donations were to have funded the fireworks for last year’s Autumn Fest, which was canceled due to bad weather and the scrapped again this spring due to the pandemic.
“It’s not a holiday season unless there are fireworks in North Riverside,” Hermanek said.
