It's time again for one of Glen Ellyn's favorite events - the Fourth of July Celebration!
The Village will celebrate beginning on Saturday, July 2, with the Cardboard Boat Regatta, and Monday, July 4, with an entire day of activities. The Fourth of July Celebration is organized by the Fourth of July Committee - an all volunteer organization.

The 2005 schedule is below.

Scroll down even further and you'll find information about The 4th of July Committee... volunteering... the budget (and where the money comes from)... and more!

Come join us!

Check-in/ registration for entrants will take place from 10:00 A.M. to noon. Entrants can also pre-register at the Main Street Recreation Center until July 1.

Individuals who want to purchase instant boat kits for construction on the day of the event should register on-site. There will be only 10 instant boat kits available this year and they must be built at the lake. For more information call 858-2463.

Picnic in the Park
The Picnic in the Park, sponsored by the Fourth of July Committee, will be held from 11:30 A.M. -3:00 P.M. July 2nd, at Lake Ellyn Park.

Enjoy great food - burgers, brats, hotdogs, watermelon and corn.

Proceeds go to support the Fourth of July Celebration. Members of Glen Ellyn Volunteer Fire Company will be the chefs for this event.

Parade
This year's Fourth of July Parade will have the theme, "Glen Ellyn... Village of Volunteers" and will begin at 12 noon.

The parade will begin just east of Glenbard West High School on Crescent Blvd., at Lake Road. From there, it will proceed west on Crescent to Main Street, north to Linden Ave. and finally east to Lake Ellyn.

Gala Fireworks Display at Lake Ellyn
The fireworks will be held at Lake Ellyn Park at dusk.

Residents are reminded that no blankets are allowed on the grounds of Lake Ellyn Park until the park opens on July 4 at 6:00 A.M. Also, please don't use rocks, bricks or stakes to hold blankets down. In addition, blankets should not be laid on landscape plants.

Fourth of July Volunteers Needed
Volunteers are needed for the Parade (call the 4th of July Committee at 790-2695) and for the Boat Regatta (call the Park District at 858-2462).

Please donate to the Fourth of July Celebration. The Celebration is completely funded by your contributions. Make checks payable to "Fourth of July Committee" and mail to: Glen Ellyn Fourth of July Committee, P.O.Box 182, Glen Ellyn, IL 60138.

FREQUENTLY (AND NOT SO FREQUENTLY) ASKED QUESTIONS...

• Who plans and stages the 4th of July celebration?
  • The gala parade, Village picnic and fireworks display are planned and staged by the Glen Ellyn 4th of July Committee. Other celebration events are sponsored by the Park District
     
    The 4th of July Committee is a hard-working group of about 12 volunteers who begin planning each year's festivities as early as October of the prior year.
     
    During the celebration, the Committee needs the assistance of over 100 community volunteers who serve as parade marshals, food servers, and other helpers.
 
• What are "parade marshals?"
  • These volunteers help maintain parade unit spacing and crowd control along the parade route. They make sure that parade units abide by the rules of parade participation, and that observers do not enter the street.
     
    They are asked to report to an assigned location along the parade route approximately 30 minutes before the start of the parade, and should stay at the location until the parade has ended.
 
• What are "food servers?"
  • Food servers assist in the preparation and sale of food at the Village picnic at Lake Ellyn Park. The servers work two hour shifts.
 
• How can I volunteer to help in the Celebration?
  • Volunteers are invited to contact the committee
    via email at 4th@glen-ellyn.com or at 790-2695.
 
• What is the cost of the Celebration?
  • The budget for the 2002 celebration is $35,000, which includes the fireworks display and paid parade participants in addition to fundraising, insurance and other miscellaneous costs.
     
    Most of the parade budget is used to pay the feature groups that appear. These include the bands, horse groups, stilt walkers, drill teams etc. These groups ask for as much as $2,500 to appear; by working with the coordinators of the Wheaton parade the cost to each community is reduced by encouraging groups to participate in both events.
     
    The cost of the celebration also includes such items as port-a-potties in the parade area and Lake Ellyn Park, walkie-talkies used during the various events, signage for the events, and T-shirts for parade marshals.
 
• How is the Celebration paid for?
  • The entire cost of the celebration is financed by voluntary contributions from the Village and from local residents, businesses, and community organizations.
 
• Donations may be sent to:
  • The Glen Ellyn 4th of July Committee
    P.O. Box 182
    Glen Ellyn, IL 60138-0182