Bands, fireworks, highlight Bartlett Fourth festival
Bartlett is preparing for its 23rd Fourth of July festival June 30-July 4, with highlights including a lineup of festival bands, Sunday's Lions Club parade and Monday's family activities and fireworks.
Major bands performing include Smokin' Gunz, American English, Neverly Brothers, Wedding Banned, And Beyond, and Modern Day Romeos.
Carnival ride and food and beverage tent hours are 5:30 to 11 p.m. Thursday and Friday, noon to 11 p.m. Saturday, 3 to 11 p.m. Sunday and noon to 9:30 p.m. Monday. The festival is held at Apple Orchard Park, near the intersection of South Bartlett and Stearns roads.
The fun starts early for people with special needs and their immediate family or caregiver when the carnival opens from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Thursday for those who preregister through the contact page on the festival website, sites.google.com/site/bartlett4thofjulyfestival/home.
The other big day for families is July Fourth, when there is free children's entertainment from 1 to 3 p.m., with Jazzi Entertainment providing DJ music, hula-hoop, the limbo, the freeze dance, potato sack and wheel barrow races, water balloon toss, relay races, face painting, balloon twisters.
At 1 p.m., there is a pedal tractor pull for all ages near the Aquatic Center. Then, at 4 p.m., the Bartlett Parks Foundation holds its annual Turbo Turtle Race fundraiser at the Bartlett Aquatic Center.
Turtles race to win their sponsors one of many donated prizes, including cash, sporting events, family activities and food. To sponsor a turtle, call (630) 540-4824.
At 8:30 p.m., as a prelude to the fireworks, Chicagoland Skydiving Center in Sugar Grove puts on a sky diving show.
The fireworks extravaganza runs from 9:30 to 10 p.m., accompanied by music on 98.1 FM. Bartlett Police will be conducting traffic control at intersections along South Bartlett and Stearns roads after the show. The festival and the carnival close right before the fireworks and will not reopen after.
On Sunday at 1 p.m. is the Bartlett Lions Club Fourth of July Parade. The parade proceeds on Oak Avenue from North Avenue, south to Railroad Avenue, on Railroad to Main Street, on Main to South Bartlett Road and on South Bartlett to Stearns Road.
The festival is put on by the Bartlett Fourth of July Committee. It is self funding, with the profits from one year used for the next year. The village provides $12,000 for the fireworks display and the park district provides the location, supervises the adjacent parking lot and removes garbage.
For more information, including what hours $25 unlimited carnival ride passes are good, visit sites.google.com/site/bartlett4thofjulyfestival/home
Entertainment schedule
THURSDAY
5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Smokin' Gunz
8:30 to 11 p.m. American English
FRIDAY
5:30 to 7:50 p.m. Neverly Brothers
8:30 to 11 p.m. Wedding Banned
SATURDAY
1 to 2 p.m. Jen Panfil
2:30 to 4 p.m. Terata
4:30 to 6 p.m. Code Blue
6:30 to 8 p.m. Bad Medicine
8:30 to 11 p.m. And Beyond
SUNDAY
1 to 2:30 p.m. 4th Point
3 to 5 p.m. Cross Fire
5:30 to 8 p.m. Rick Lindy & Wild Ones
8:30 to 11 p.m. Hi-Infidelity
MONDAY
1:30 to 4 p.m. Los Treboles Negros (Food Tent)
4 to 6:30 p.m. Johnny Russler & Beach Bums
7 to 9:30 p.m. Modern Day Romeos