Parade, fireworks not on same day in Fox Lake

For the first time in recent years, the Celebrate Fox Lake parade and the Chain O’ Lakes fireworks show are not on the same day, a change that’s causing some confusion, officials said.

The Independence Day weekend festivities kick off at 10 a.m. today with a parade in downtown Fox Lake, but the fireworks show is set to explode over Columbia Bay at dusk on Sunday.

Amy Serafin, the director of village’s parks and recreation department, said the decision to schedule the events on different days stemmed from some miscommunication between the village and fireworks organizers.

In the past, the village usually held the parade on the Saturday before the Fourth of July, and organizers of the fireworks would follow suit, Serafin said.

“It really has caused some confusion among people in Fox Lake that routinely attend both events on the same day,” she said. “All I can say is that there was some miscommunication there.”

She said the village has received numerous calls from residents about the different dates for the events.

The Celebrate Fox Lake parade on Saturday leaves from Grant High School and runs along Grand Avenue to Millennium Park at Grand and Rollins Road.

Celebrate Fox Lake immediately follows at Millennium Park. It will feature food, drinks and crafts, and five musical acts will entertain until the event ends at 7 p.m. The acts are: George Shapely and Southern Justice, The Michael Lescher Band, The Joe Power’s Country Band, Paper Airplanes of Fire, and Tafoya’s Lost Boyzz.

The fireworks show, sponsored by the Chain O’ Lakes Firework Association, will launch over Fox Lake on Sunday. The fireworks will launch from an area closer to Columbia Bay on the northeastern portion of the water, rather than from Mineola Bay, where it has in years past. The rain date is Monday.

For information on Celebrate Fox Lake, check the village’s website at foxlake.org, and for the fireworks, visit keepthesparkalive.com.