Bartlett 4th Fest aims to create memories
Highlights of this year’s Bartlett 4th of July Festival, which runs Wednesday, July 4 through Sunday, include the plastic turtle races at 4 p.m. Wednesday, the fireworks at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday and the parade at 1 p.m. Sunday.
The Bartlett Fourth of July Committee was formed in August 1992 by a few residents who wanted a “hometown celebration that would create memories for our children and our children’s’ children.”
The bands and entertainment, the peddle tractor pull, the parade, the tents, the kids entertainment, and the fireworks extravaganza are funded with the profits from last year’s celebration.
Still, without the cooperation of the village and park district, the Bartlett 4th of July Celebration could not exist. The village contributes $12,000 toward the cost of the fireworks display and provides police and fire protection. The park district allows the festival to be held on its soccer fields, supervises the adjacent parking lot, and handles garbage removal.
Ÿ The plastic turtle races 4 p.m. Wednesday at the Aquatic Center, 620 W. Stearns Road, are a Bartlett Parks Foundation fundraiser. Tickets are $10 for each of the 1,000 plastic turtles. For information, call (630) 540-4828.
Ÿ The fireworks are scheduled from 9:30-10 p.m. July 4 at Apple Orchard Park, near the intersection of South Bartlett Road and Stearns Road.
Afterward, vehicles exiting onto South Bartlett Road north of Stearns Road will be directed north toward Devon Avenue. Vehicles exiting onto South Bartlett Road south of Stearns Road will be directed south toward Schick Road.
Vehicles exiting onto Stearns Road west of South Bartlett Road will be directed west toward Route 59. Vehicles exiting onto Stearns Road east of South Bartlett Road will be directed east toward County Farm Road.
Ÿ The Bartlett Lions Club Fourth of July Parade will be held 1 p.m. Sunday, July 8. The parade begins at Bartlett Park, 102 N. Eastern Ave., and travels south to the festival at Stearns and South Bartlett roads.