Glenview to celebrate 4th with 'reverse parade,' bell-ringing
While many Independence Day parades and fireworks displays have been canceled due to social distancing protocols this year, the Glenview Park District has innovated a pair of temporary replacements for these traditions to enable residents to safely enjoy the spirit of the holiday.
A “reverse parade,” in which spectators will themselves drive past the floats, is being prepared from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, July 4 in the parking lot of Community Park West, at 1001 Zenith Ave., just off Milwaukee Avenue south of Abt Electronics and Appliances.
And an 8 p.m. communitywide bell ringing, led by churches in Glenview, is aimed to provide an auditory celebration of Independence Day that will unite village residents in a way that a visual fireworks display can't this year, said Jena Johnson, director of brand strategies and community engagement for the park district.
Residents are encouraged to follow the lead of the church bells by ringing bells and making noise themselves at 8 p.m., she added.
Those who join the reverse parade earlier in the day will be issued one safely packaged cowbell per vehicle to take part in the evening bell-ringing, Johnson said.
Though attendance of the reverse parade in the morning is free, obtaining tickets in advance by visiting glenview4th.org is required to ensure that a properly spaced lineup of spectator vehicles can be scheduled by the park district.
Though Community Park West isn't a usual locale for Independence Day festivities, its parking lot lends itself to accommodating a large number of stationary floats while spectators are able to arrive by the north entrance and leave by the south, said Glenview Park District Health & Fitness Manager Kathleen McInnis, who's one of the parade coordinators.
Abt Electronics next door has also made available space within its own parking lot to line up each wave of spectator vehicles before they enter the reverse parade, McInnis said.
Community Park West doesn't have the space for the roughly 75 floats that take part in the park district's Independence Day parade in a typical year, but it will be able to accommodate the 29 stationary floats that had registered by the June 15 deadline, she added.
Johnson said spectators are encouraged to decorate their own vehicles to be in the spirit of the parade as they drive through.
They also can tune their radios to WHPK at 88.5 FM to hear patriotic music playing as the parade occurs, she said.
The canceled fireworks might still be rescheduled for another time later this year or have its budget added to next year's celebrations to make the 2021 display even bigger.