‘Not enough to stop the party’: Socked by storms, Bartlett marches on

Bartlett has been pounded by thunderstorms, floods and even tornadoes in recent weeks, so much so that the community saw much of its Fourth of July festival plans washed away.

But Bartlett residents put all that behind them Sunday, determined to hold their annual Independence Day parade.

The sky was overcast, but the rain mercifully held back, as Oak and North avenues were flooded, in a good way, with fire trucks, high school marching bands, Shriners, vintage cars and horses.

Evidence of the determination to enjoy the holiday weekend could be found at a North Avenue home, where family members gathered for a barbecue just steps away from where a centuries-old tree fell on the roof.

“That huge chunk of the roof came off and it’s tarped, but not enough to stop the party,” said Wauconda resident Jackie Ovadenko, whose aunt owns the home.

During the parade, families lined the streets as children eagerly picked up treats tossed at their feet. Among those dispensing candy was Mayor Dan Gunsteen.

“It has been a tremendously tough week, with the amount of weather that we have had prior to the 4th of July fest,” Gunsteen said. “And then just this catastrophic blow to the volunteers and the residents that have put so much heart and soul into this fest.

“The village last night was working around the clock, unclogging and making sure that all the water was dissipating,” he added. “We had close to six inches of rain in less than three hours last night. We had floods at almost every major intersection.”

Residents watching the parade had plenty of anecdotes related to the recent weather events.

“We had a neighbor’s tree fall in our yard on a swing set that we inherited,” Michael Garza said.

The spirit of 1776 was alive and well at the historic Humbracht house on Oak Avenue, which dates back to 1882 and is now home to Derango Family Dental.

Madeline Derango celebrated by dressing up as George Washington. In fact, she was born on Washington’s Birthday.

Amy Kendryna, co-parade chair with Lee Beattie, was upbeat prior to the start of the march.

“I don’t worry about stuff until I have something to worry about,” Kendryna said.

Joanne Watson said Sunday’s attendance may have been boosted by a crowd eager to celebrate after a weekend of washouts.

“I don’t think anybody’s felt like it’s been the Fourth of July yet,” Watson said.