Help needed to continue Wheaton's Fourth of July parade

When the Wheaton Jaycees relinquished responsibility for planning the community's Fourth of July parade and fireworks display, Mayor Michael Gresk said the good news was that the city had a year to reorganize.

Now the clock is ticking and Gresk has yet to form the committee that will take charge of planning and fundraising for the parade.

Still, the mayor said he remains confident everything will come together in time.

"It will be a community-based effort as it's always been," he said. "Actually, I envision an opportunity where larger community involvement might bring in the prospect of sponsorships, including individual, group and corporate sponsorships."

The Jaycees organized the July 4 celebration for about 20 years and established the parade as one of the largest in northern Illinois, attracting as many as 70,000 spectators.

But even before planning for this year's celebration was completed, it was decided the chapter doesn't have the membership to continue putting the parade together.

So Gresk put the call out for volunteers and found six people who were able to shadow the Jaycees in July and learn what's involved.

While he has the core members for the Fourth of July committee, Gresk said he doesn't want to make the panel official until he finds a group willing to assist the committee.

"Would I love to have the committee in place now and already working on it? I sure would," Gresk said. "But you need an umbrella group that can monitor the activities."

One group that could provide its expertise in planning major events is the Wheaton Park District.

Mike Bernard, the park district's executive director, said commissioners are considering the possibility of the district stepping in.

"I think they simply want to make sure we're not biting off more than we can chew," he said.

Bernard said he personally feels no one is better suited to oversee the planning process than the park district.

"In my mind, it would be very easy and very sensible for the park district to take the lead on this," he said, adding the district could enlist the help of different service groups in the community.

Ideally, the park district should decide if it will get involved by December, Bernard said. That should provide the time needed to plan the event.

Gresk said the city would still provide funding.