Spend the Fourth in downtown Elgin with parade, food trucks and fireworks

The city of Elgin is celebrating the Fourth of July with a parade, concert and fireworks, all on Monday, July 4. This year's theme is "There is No Place Like Home" in conjunction with the Gail Borden Public Library's summer reading program.

Food trucks suited for various tastes will be parked on Grove Avenue, adjacent to Festival Park, starting at 4 p.m.

A free concert featuring Modern Day Romeos will take place at 7 p.m. at Festival Park, 132 S. Grove Ave.

This all-day event will end with a fireworks show beginning at approximately 9:20 p.m. and lasting approximately 20-30 minutes.

The parade will step off at 9 a.m. at Douglas and Slade avenue and continues south to Douglas and Highland avenues, near city hall.

Road closures preparations begin at 6 a.m. with roads officially being closed at 8 a.m.

Any cars parked on these streets on July 4 after 6 a.m. will be towed: North Grove Avenue from Kimball Street to River Bluff Road; Brook Street from Kimball Street to River Bluff Road; River Bluff Road from Spring Street to North Grove Avenue; Douglas Avenue from River Bluff Road to Chicago Street.

Parade volunteers, including Parade Ambassadors, will be wearing a white T-shirt with the parade theme and logo "There Is No Place Like Home." These volunteers will have maps to help the public find rest rooms, approximate location of parade entries, location to get medical treatment, etc.

All parking in downtown Elgin is free, however, with street closures taking place for the parade, they advise that you arrive early. Besides the ample amount of street parking (even with the closed streets), downtown Elgin offers plenty of free parking in lots and decks throughout the downtown area: Centre of Elgin parking garage at the corner of Symphony Way and Douglas Avenue; Spring Street Garage at Spring Street and Highland Avenue; and Fulton Street Garage at Fulton and Spring streets. The Gail Borden Public Library lot will be open but parking will be restricted.

Shuttle buses will be located at the parking lot located at 200 S. Grove and are available to transport parade participants to their assigned gates for staging.

After the parade, head to Downtown Elgin and enjoy a meal or drink at one of our local restaurants. Take some time to explore the public art scattered around town. Enjoy a visit to Festival Park and take a walk along the Fox River. Shop some of our fun local boutiques and retail destination shops. To learn more and plan your visit, head over to www.DowntownElgin.com to read about some of our newest shops and restaurants, like in those found in the blog "Getting to Know Downtown Elgin."

Multiple food trucks for various tastes will be parked along Grove Avenue starting at 4 p.m.

Then, head to Festival Park where the City of Elgin will host a Fourth of July concert. It will begin approximately at 7 p.m. All of the day's festivities will finish with fireworks on the scenic Fox River, occurring at approximately 9:20 p.m.

For questions, contact the Elgin 311 Contact Center by calling 311 or email the events staff at specialevents@cityofelgin.org.