This upcoming Saturday marks the Fourth of July, and you know what that means: celebrations galore in honor of the United States’ 250th anniversary. Both Brookfield and Riverside will have a full day of celebratory events, from early in the morning through the evening.
Riverside will start the festivities at 7:30 a.m. with the kickoff of its Independence Day 5K run, looping around the village via Akenside, Northwood, Loudon, Northgate, Selborn, Parkway and Longcommon roads. At 9 a.m., the village will start its parade. Participants will line up on North Delaplaine and Nuttall roads before processing east on Delaplaine and southwest toward downtown on Longcommon Road.
Brookfield will start its parade one hour later at 10 a.m., with marchers heading southeast on Grand Boulevard from Garfield Avenue all the way to Brookfield Avenue, where they’ll turn east and conclude the procession. The parade is returning to its regular route this year after it was rerouted last year east onto Washington Avenue and south on Arden Avenue due to construction on Grand Boulevard.
Both parades will feature quiet zones to accommodate people with sensory issues related to sound or who just prefer things less loud. In Riverside, Big Ball Park right near the start of the parade will function as the quiet zone. In Brookfield, the quiet zone is equally near the beginning of the parade from Garfield Avenue to Jackson Avenue.
Representatives from the Landmark are planning to walk in both parades. If you see us on Saturday, don’t hesitate to say hello!
The festivities won’t end after the parades. In Riverside, you can head over to Guthrie Park downtown for the annual Festival in the Park from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. If you want to get into the spirit even earlier, the village will host its Concert in the Park the evening of Friday, July 3, from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., featuring live beats from DJ Mattio and songs from headliner Wedding Banned.
In Brookfield, officials will follow the parade with the rededication of the village’s authentic Liberty Bell replica, which is located in Kiwanis Park, at 11:30 a.m. The bell was initially dedicated on July 4, 1976, on the country’s 200th anniversary, after a group of residents in 1975 raised the $14,300 needed to purchase it. Saturday marks the bell’s own 50th anniversary in Brookfield.
More information about the village’s replica Liberty Bell, one of just three in Illinois, is available on Brookfield’s website.
After the bell’s rededication, Brookfield will host its Party in the Park at Kiwanis Park from noon to 5 p.m., with live music from The Good Stuff starting at 12:30 and from headliner No Limit at 3 p.m.
Brookfield will be hosting a bags tournament at 1 p.m. Eight teams of two people can sign up onsite at the party before the tournament begins.
Both park events will feature food and refreshments as well as family-friendly entertainment, like giant yard games in Riverside or face painters and balloon twisters in Brookfield.
No matter where you’re celebrating, come prepared. Weather forecasts show the day will have a high temperature of 91 degrees in the afternoon, part of a longer stretch of intensely hot days in the Chicagoland area this week. Stay hydrated, wear lightweight, loose-fitting clothing, and if you need access to air conditioning, relocate to the nearest official Cook County cooling center.
Two cooling centers are available in Brookfield and Riverside: the Linda Sokol Francis Brookfield Library, 3541 Park Ave., and Riverside Township Hall, 27 Riverside Rd., Brookfield’s website also invites area residents to visit Brookfield Village Hall, though it’s not an official cooling center. Riverside Township Hall and Brookfield Village Hall will be closed Friday, July 3, in observance of Independence Day.
