Bartlett celebrates July Fourth with multifaceted festival

Bartlett is preparing for its 22nd Fourth of July festival, with highlights including the turtle races, the Lions Club parade, the fireworks, kids day family activities and special needs day.

Major bands performing include American English, Modern Day Romeos, And Beyond and High Infidelity. Bingo is available all four days Thursday-Sunday, July 2-5, as are food and beverages. Carnival hours are 5 to 11 p.m. Thursday, 1 to 11 p.m. Friday, noon to 11 p.m. Saturday and 3 to 8 p.m. Sunday.

The fun starts Thursday afternoon at Apple Orchard Park when the carnival opens from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. for people with special needs and their immediate family or caregiver. Preregistration is required on the festival website: bartlett4thofjuly.com.

July Fourth is the big day.

There is free children's entertainment from 1 to 3 p.m. with Jazzi Entertainment providing DJ music, hula hoop, the limbo, the freeze dance, potato sack and wheel barrow races, water balloon toss, relay races, face painting, balloon twisters. At 1 p.m., there is a pedal tractor pull for all ages near the Aquatic Center.

Then at 4 p.m., the Bartlett Parks Foundation holds its Annual Turbo Turtle Race fundraiser at the Bartlett Aquatic Center. Turtles race to win their sponsors one of many donated prizes, including cash, sporting events, family activities and food. To sponsor a turtle, call (630) 540-4824.

At 8:30 p.m. as a prelude to the fireworks, Chicagoland Skydiving Center in Sugar Grove puts on a sky diving show.

The fireworks extravaganza runs from 9:30 to 10 p.m., accompanied by music on 98.1 FM. Bartlett Police will be conducting traffic control at intersections along South Bartlett Road and Stearns Road after the show.

All vehicles exiting onto South Bartlett Road north of Stearns Road will be directed north toward Devon Avenue. All vehicles exiting onto South Bartlett Road south of Stearns will be directed south toward Schick Road. All vehicles exiting onto Stearns west of South Bartlett Road will be directed west toward Rte. 59. All vehicles exiting onto Stearns east of South Bartlett Road will be directed east toward County Farm Road. No vehicles will be allowed to drive through the intersection at South Bartlett and Stearns roads.

On Sunday at 1 p.m. is the Bartlett Lions Club Fourth of July Parade. The parade proceeds on Oak Avenue from North Avenue south to Railroad Avenue, on Railroad to Main Street, on Main to South Bartlett Road, and on South Bartlett to Stearns Road.

The festival is put on by the Bartlett Fourth of July Committee, formed in August 1992 to put on a "hometown celebration that would create memories for our children and our children's' children." It is self funding with the profits from one year used for the next year. The village provides $12,000 toward the cost of the fireworks display and the park district provides the location, supervises the adjacent parking lot and removes garbage.

Entertainment schedule

THURSDAY

5:30 to 8:15 p.m. Smokin' Gunz

9 to 11 p.m. American English

FRIDAY

1 to 2 p.m. Jenn Panfil

2 to 4 p.m. Terata

4 to 6 p.m. Unchained

6 to 8 p.m. Bad Medicine

8 to 11 p.m. Modern Day Romeos

SATURDAY

Noon to 2:30 p.m. Los Treboles Negros (inside beer tent)

2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Crossfire

5:00 to 7:30 p.m. Rick Lindy & Wild Ones

8 to 11 p.m. And Beyond

SUNDAY

3 to 5 p.m. Johnny Russler & Beach Bum Band

6 to 8 p.m. Hi Infidelity