The Aurora area is set to celebrate the Fourth of July this week with parades, fireworks and more.
In Aurora, the annual Fourth of July Fireworks Extravaganza will be held on Wednesday evening, July 3.
The best places to watch the fireworks are RiverEdge Park at 360 N. Broadway and McCullough Park at 150 W. Illinois Ave., city officials said.
Both parks will open at 6 p.m. with DJs playing music from 7 to 9 p.m.
There will be inflatables and bounce houses at McCullough Park and a food truck hub at Wilder Park across the bridge from RiverEdge and down the path from McCullough Park, officials said.
Fireworks will begin at 9:15 p.m., according to officials.
Those going to the parks for the event can park offsite and take a shuttle, officials said. For a schedule of shuttle times, go to www.aurora-il.org/FourthofJuly.
Aurora’s annual Fourth of July parade will step off at 10 a.m. on Thursday, July 4, at the intersection of Benton and Broadway downtown, head north on Broadway to Downer and then west on Downer to River Street.
The reviewing stand for the parade will be in front of the GAR Military Museum, 23 E. Downer Place.
The parade will include more than 75 units led by the Citizen Police Academy Alumni of Aurora as the grand marshals.
The Aurora Historical Society will hold its 57th annual Independence Day Celebration at the William Tanner House Museum at Oak Avenue and Cedar Street from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday.
The celebration is a free, family-oriented event open to the whole community, Aurora Historical Society officials said.
During the event, the historic William Tanner House, built in 1857, will be open for tours.
Outside on the museum grounds, there will be a petting zoo, face painting and balloon creations, organizers said. Hot dogs, chips, drinks and ice cream will be available for purchase.
Entertainment will include juggler Andy Head from 12:15 to 1 p.m. At 1 p.m., the children in attendance will gather to ring the historic bells on the site. The bell-ringing ceremony commemorates the first ringing of the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia upon adoption of the Declaration of Independence, Historical Society officials said.
The ringing of the bells will be followed by a patriotic concert by the American Legion Band. The afternoon will conclude with a pie-eating contest, organizers said.
For information on the event, call the Aurora Historical Society’s offices at 630-906-0650, go to www.aurorahistory.org or go to the group’s Facebook page, facebook.com/aurorahistory.
North Aurora’s annual Independence Day Celebration will be held on Wednesday, July 3, beginning at 5 p.m. at North Aurora Riverfront Park.
Participants can bring in their own blankets and chairs, food, grills and drinks.
From 6 to 9 p.m. the band Good Clean Fun will perform at the event, with fireworks set to be launched at 9:30 p.m.
For more on the event, go to https://northaurora.org/.
Oswego’s Fourth of July fireworks display will start at approximately 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 4, at Prairie Point Park, 4120 Plainfield Road in Oswego.
The Yorkville Independence Day parade on Thursday, July 4, 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, to Church Street and then to West Main Street, with the parade ending at the water tower.
Activities will begin immediately after the parade at Town Square Park and end at noon. Activities will include 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 from local vendors at Town Square Park.
The fireworks in Yorkville 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 at its post at 9054 E. Veterans Parkway in Yorkville.
Batavia will host its annual fireworks sky concert on Thursday, 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. Fireworks and sparklers are strictly prohibited within the city limits, officials said.
There will be food vendors beginning at 5 p.m. at Engstrom Park.
The fireworks show will be from 9:30 to 10 p.m., according to organizers.
The annual July 4 fireworks in St. Charles on Thursday will be launched from Langum Park at Seventh and Madison avenues in the city’s downtown.
Fireworks will be launched at dark and can be seen along the Fox River, with the best viewing locations in downtown St. Charles, south of Main Street, officials said.
For more details, go to the St. Charles Park District website at https://www.stcparks.org/.
The city of Plano will present its third annual fireworks display at Plano High School on Sunday evening, July 7.
Participants can sit in the stands at Reaper Stadium or bring chairs and set up in designated areas, officials said.
Gates will open at the stadium at 7:30 p.m., with concessions offered by Plano Sports Boosters. The fireworks will be shot off at dusk.
No alcohol, tobacco, firearms, coolers or tailgating are allowed at the event, organizers said