Towns around the Aurora area will be celebrating the Fourth of July with a variety of events over the next few days as well as on the holiday itself on Tuesday.
In Aurora, the celebration will begin Monday, July 3, with fireworks beginning at 9:15 p.m. City officials said the best places to watch the fireworks are RiverEdge Park, 360 N. Broadway, and McCullough Park, 150 W. Illinois Ave.
Both parks will open at 6 p.m. and DJs will be playing music from 7 to 9 p.m., with DJ Suave Smooth at RiverEdge and DJ Pena at McCullough Park.
There will be inflatables and bounce houses at McCullough Park and a food truck hub at Wilder Park, which is across the bridge over the Fox River from RiverEdge and down the path from McCullough Park.
On Tuesday, July 4, Aurora will hold its traditional Fourth of July parade downtown with more than 40 units led by grand marshal and WGN-TV weather anchor, Aurora native and Waubonsie Valley High School graduate Paul Konrad.
At 8:45 a.m. there will be a meet and greet with Konrad at the David L. Pierce Art and History Center building, 20 E. Downer Place, on the third floor.
At 9:30 a.m. the pre-parade ceremony will begin at the Reviewing Stand at 20 E. Downer Place. It will feature the national anthem, an awards presentation, remarks from the grand marshal and a a performance by acapella group and vocal ensemble Radius.
The parade will step off at 10 a.m. at the intersection of Benton Street and Broadway, head north on Broadway to Downer Place, and then west on Downer to River Street.
For more information on the fireworks and parade, go to www.aurora-il.org/FourthofJuly
The Aurora Historical Society will celebrate on July 4 with an event from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the historic Tanner House Museum at 305 Cedar St. in Aurora.
The event will feature a picnic complete with music, magic, a petting zoo, games, house tours, a blueberry-pie-eating contest and more, organizers said.
At 1 p.m., children present will ring the historic bells on the museum’s lawn in honor of the Fourth of July.
Immediately after the bell ringing the Aurora American Legion Band will play a patriotic concert, organizers said.
The picnic is free to attend. The menu includes hot dogs, chips, soda and ice cream for sale.
North Aurora will hold its holiday fireworks display on July 3 at Riverfront Park at 25 E. State St., right next to Village Hall.
The event starts at 5 p.m. and fireworks set to music will launch at 9:30 p.m., officials said.
People can bring their own food to the event, and grills are welcome, according to organizers. An ice cream truck will be available at the park as well.
Live music is set for 6 to 9 p.m. by Hello Weekend at the event.
Oswego will be hosting a fireworks display at approximately 9:30 p.m. July 4 at Prairie Point Park, 4120 Plainfield Road in Oswego.
Yorkville is planning a number of activities on July 4 to celebrate the holiday.
The annual Yorkville Independence Day Parade will begin at 9 a.m. at Yorkville High School and end at Town Square Park.
The parade will go from Game Farm Road to Somonauk Street, then to Church Street, then to West Main Street, with the parade ending at the water tower.
Immediately after the parade there will be activities until 1 p.m. at Town Square Park at 301 N. Bridge St. including children’s foot races, bounce houses and a performance by the Yorkville Community Band. In addition to activities, food and drinks will be available for purchase at Town Square by local vendors, event organizers said.
That evening, Yorkville will host a fireworks show. The fireworks will begin at dusk and will be shot off near the corner of Route 47 and Countryside Parkway.
The Yorkville American Legion will host a fireworks viewing party open to the public in the parking lot of its post at 9054 E. Veterans Parkway in Yorkville.
Batavia will host its annual fireworks show on July 4. Observation areas for the show will be at Engstrom Park on Main Street at Millview Drive and the Batavia High School athletic practice fields between Main Street and West Wilson Street.
Alcoholic beverages and dogs are prohibited from all event observation areas, event organizers said.
There will be a variety of food vendors beginning at 5 p.m. at Engstrom Park.
From 8:30 to 9:15 p.m. the Batavia Community Band will perform at the park.
The fireworks show will start at 9:30 p.m. and end at 10 p.m., officials said.
St. Charles will stage its fireworks show beginning at dusk on July 4.
The fireworks will be launched from Langum Park at Seventh Street and Madison Avenue, and can be enjoyed from just about anywhere downtown, city officials said.
There will also be a variety of activities July 4 at both Pottawatomie Park and Mt. St. Mary Park in St. Charles. For details, go to https://www.stcparks.org/july-4th/.
Plano is hosting its fireworks show Friday evening at the stadium at Plano High School.
Concessions will be available through Plano Sports Boosters, just like at Friday night football games, organizers said.
Gates will open at 7:30 p.m. with fireworks beginning at dusk.
Organizers noted that alcohol, tobacco, firearms, coolers or tailgating are not allowed at the event.