Retired park director named Hoffman Estates parade marshal
Recently retired Hoffman Estates Park District executive director Dean Bostrom will serve as marshal of Hoffman Estates' Fourth of July Parade on Wednesday in honor of his 21 years of service to the community, Mayor Bill McLeod has announced.
The parade, themed "Wings of Freedom," will begin at 9 a.m. that day on Illinois Boulevard, 15 minutes after the Children's Bike & Trike Parade sets off along the route from the intersection of Kingman Lane.
Bostrom, who retired in April, worked in the parks and recreation industry for 35 years. He joined the Hoffman Estates Park District in its top job in 1997.
In the months before his retirement, the Illinois Park and Recreation Association presented Bostrom with its Robert Artz Lifetime Achievement Award and the Hoffman Estates Chamber of Commerce & Industry gave him a special recognition at its 2018 Celebration of Excellence Dinner.
"You have dramatically left this community way better than you found it," Hoffman Estates Village Manager Jim Norris told Bostrom at the latter event.
Under Bostrom, the district won many honors, including in 2009 the National Gold Medal award from the National Recreation and Parks Association. Bostrom's other personal awards include the Illinois Association of Park Districts' 2009 Honored Professional of the Year.
Hoffman Estates' Fourth of July Parade coincides with the five-day Northwest Fourth-Fest the village and park district run on the grounds of the Sears Centre Arena.
McLeod clarified that this year's fireworks display will be at 9:30 p.m. Saturday, July 7, at the Sears Centre. Some attendees are confused when the fireworks don't occur on July 4, he said.
Also this year, Gov. Bruce Rauner will stop by the fest about 3:30 p.m. Saturday, July 7, McLeod said.