Independence Day traditions will continue this year in Homewood and Flossmoor, beginning with the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District’s Starry Nights concert on July 3 and concluding with the district’s Family Fun Fest the afternoon of July 4.
Independence Day traditions will continue this year in Homewood and Flossmoor, beginning with the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District’s Starry Nights concert on July 3 and concluding with the district’s Family Fun Fest the afternoon of July 4.
the Homewood Fourth of July
Parade. The parade begins at
10 a.m. this year, starting
from the St. Joseph Catholic
Church parking lot in the
17900 block of Dixie Highway.
(Chronicle file photo)
Sandwiched between those events will be the park district’s Run for Freedom, the Flossmoor Children’s Parade and the Homewood 4th of July parade, all on July 4.
The Starry Nights concert will feature Second Hand Soul performing soul, rock and Motown music. The free concert in Irwin Park, 18120 Highland Ave. in Homewood, will run from 7 to 9 p.m.
Food and beverages will be available to purchase from local vendors.
Registration for the Run for Freedom 5K run/walk will begin at 7 a.m. in the Lions Club Pool parking lot, 1041 Ridge Road in Homewood. The race will begin at 8 a.m.
participate in the 2018
Flossmoor Children’s Parade.
The parade this year begins
at 10 a.m. in the Parker
Junior High School parking lot.
(Chronicle file photo)
The Flossmoor Children’s Parade will begin at 10 a.m. at the Parker Junior High parking lot and end in downtown Flossmoor.
The parade features local kids who decorate their bikes, wagons and strollers to help celebrate the nation’s birthday. Parade line-up will begin at 9:30 a.m.
Homewood Events Manager Allisa Opyd noted the village’s parade is a long-standing tradition. It started in 1910, “when Homewood had dirt roads and Ridge Road was named Main Street,” she said.
The parade typically is one of the biggest public gatherings of the year.
This year, the parade will be an opportunity to honor Army Reserve PFC Michael Colton, a 2018 graduate of Homewood-Flossmoor High School, who plans a military career after he finishes college.
As always, the parade will begin at 10 a.m. in the St. Joseph Catholic Church parking lot at 17951 Dixie Highway.
of lawn tennis at Family
Fun Fest in 2018. (Chronicle
file photo)
The first part of the parade from St. Joseph down Dixie Highway to the intersection with Ridge Road will be a quiet zone for residents who have sound sensitivities. The quiet zone will be marked.
Once parade participants turn down Ridge Road, the music, sirens and lights will start.
The parade will include patriotic floats, clowns, stilt walkers, live music and more, Opyd said.
The parade will continue to Izaak Walton Nature Preserve at 1100 Ridge Road.
After the parade reaches Izaak Walton, H-F and area residents are invited to stay and enjoy the park district’s Family Fun Fest from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., which includes family picnicking and games, bounce houses and slides. There is a fee for the games and rides.
For details, contact park district staffer Caryn Becker at [email protected] or call 708-957-0300.