Fourth of July celebration canceled in Carol Stream, others in jeopardy

If there's a metaphor for this year's Fourth of July celebrations, it's in the old box of firecrackers gathering dust in your garage.

Independence Day blowouts already have fizzled out in some towns, turning July Fourth into a dud and a disappointment.

But with each passing day of the coronavirus pandemic, it's getting harder to imagine star-spangled traditions: packed parade routes, neighborhood cookouts and a fireworks show for the masses.

Last month, organizers called off Lisle's Eyes to the Skies hot air balloon festival and three nights of fireworks. Carol Stream on Friday canceled the village's Fourth of July fireworks display, along with the summer concert series because of the COVID-19 crisis. Carol Stream's parade also has been scrapped.

In other suburbs, the virus threat and a recent warning by Gov. J.B. Pritzker are weighing heavily on officials and volunteers who make Fourth of July festivities a source of community pride.

"I think everyone needs to think seriously about canceling large summer events," Pritzker advised earlier this month. "I don't see how we're going to have large gatherings of people until we have a vaccine, which is months and months away."

Towns from Arlington Heights to Elgin and from Hoffman Estates to Vernon Hills haven't yet reached decisions on July 4 festivities.

"At this time, the village's summer events are under review as the COVID-19 crisis continues and we await word on an update of the governor's stay-at-home order," said Nancy Kluz, an Arlington Heights village spokeswoman.

Volunteers put on Carol Stream's parade, making preparations throughout the year.

"We are sad that we will not be able to do the parade, but the main thing is the safety of our residents," said Trustee Rick Gieser, who sits on the 4th of July Parade Committee.

The independent group relies entirely on donations to stage the parade. Organizers have had to cancel restaurant fundraisers due to the dining shutdown, but those disruptions didn't have any bearing on the decision to forgo the parade, Gieser said.

"We have the money for this year's parade," he said. "That's not a problem."

The last time organizers pulled the plug on Fourth of July celebrations across the suburbs, severe storms and extreme heat were the culprit eight years ago. Carol Stream also scrapped the fireworks and parade in 2012 amid a cleanup effort and widespread power outages.

"That was a huge disappointment, too, but we continued and had a stronger parade the next year," Gieser said.

In Wheaton, the park district has not yet made a formal announcement on the status of its celebration, Executive Director Mike Benard said.

"But it seems very likely that the 4th of July parade and fireworks in Wheaton will be canceled due to the need to continue social distancing protocols," he said via email. "I believe the governor will have something to say about the status of large events this summer at some point in the near future."

• Daily Herald staff writer Christopher Placek contributed to this report