Sleepy Hollow Service Club gears up for Fourth celebration

Submitted by Sleepy Hollow Service Club

The Sleepy Hollow Service Club will start its Fourth of July festival and fireworks at 8 a.m. Wednesday, July 4, with a 1-mile fun run starting at Sleepy Hollow Elementary School, followed at 9 a.m. with the Bob Zdenek Memorial Fishing Derby at Lake Sharon.

Refreshments open at 11:30 a.m., followed by the Bill Ritchie Memorial Parade. The parade starts at noon with the fire departments leading the parade of children on bikes, skaters, tractors, and floats around Sabatino Park.

If you wish to be in the parade, meet at the Sleepy Hollow Pool parking lot at 11:30 a.m. No registration is required. There will be trophies awarded for the best floats and the best tractor.

The festival features food, games, a dunk tank, live music performances, and other entertainment throughout the afternoon. Sign up early at the ticket booth for a chance to be in the pie-eating contest at 2:30 p.m., with trophies for the first- and second-place contestants. At 3 p.m., the winners of the raffle will be drawn. Winners need not be present.

Raffle tickets are available right up to the drawing and are a tax deductible way to support the Service Club. The games close at 3 p.m. while the music and refreshment wind down around 4 p.m.

At 7 p.m., the park begins to fill with spectators waiting to enjoy one of the best fireworks displays in the area. The Service Club asks for a donation per car to help fund the event.

Local band Cry Baby will play a blend of classic rock and original material at the Sabatino Park shelter. The band is made up of kids from the area, including three from Sleepy Hollow.

The fireworks start at about 9:15 p.m. The rain date for the fireworks will be Saturday, July 7. For details, visit www.sleepy-hollow.il.us/sc-events/.