Faltering July 4 parade gets help from Carol Stream

Carol Stream's Fourth of July Parade is getting a bigger financial boost from the village this year after donations from the community declined.

The parade committee relies on fundraisers and an annual campaign that allows residents to donate through their water bills, officials said.

With the struggling economy, however, many residents weren't able to contribute as much as usual, Chris Oakley, assistant to the village manager, said.

"They just found that private and corporate support waned due to the economy," he said. "The village had to give them more money than anticipated."

Last year, the village kicked in $17,830. This year, that jumped to $18,995. Much of the budget goes toward entertainment for the parade, Oakley said.

The committee held several fundraisers this year, including at Jewel and Culver's and RoccoVino's.

"People aren't eating out as much as they used to," said Kim Gieser, parade committee chairwoman.

Oakley said the village has made it clear its contribution won't increase again, but this year took everyone by surprise.

"We do that with several agencies that ask for our support," he said. "We want them to understand going forward that we don't have unlimited resources."

Gieser said the committee likely will have a couple more fundraisers for next year's parade, starting in the fall.

"We've never done any in the fall," she said. "We'll probably pick up and maybe do two in the fall."

In a year when several towns are cutting back on festivals, Oakley said the village thought it was important to have a normal parade, especially since Carol Stream is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

But he said the village would have made a one-time larger contribution, regardless of the anniversary.

The parade will start at 10 a.m. July 4 at County Farm and Lies roads. It will end up at Gary Avenue, south of Lies Road.

For details, visit carolstreamparade.com.