Frankfort Fourth Of July Fireworks At Main Park: DJ, Concessions

FRANKFORT, IL — The Frankfort Park District will host the annual Fourth of July fireworks and celebration on July 4 at Main Park, 200 S. Locust.

The park district said the event will include an interactive DJ for entertainment, concessions will be available for purchase provided by Frankfort Baseball, and the night will end with a fireworks show.

The park district has hosted a July 4th celebration for many years. Since the pandemic, the day-long events have shifted to a more condensed evening event.

“There was consideration to not have the fireworks show this year due to funding, but thanks to the sponsorship funding provided by the Village of Frankfort, Frankfort Firefighters Union and Frankfort Firefighters Foundation the show will happen,” Park District Executive Director Gina Hassett said in a release. “When the Park District’s tax rate referendum didn’t pass, the Park District Board took a close look at the budget. With growing operating costs due to inflation and a limited budget, the Park District Board felt it was necessary to direct funding to rising cost associated with park maintenance."

Hassett said the fireworks show costs over $16,000 for a 15-minute display.

"It is challenging to balance the budget needs and the desire to put on high-level community events when the Park District has limited funds. The Park District collects significantly less property taxes compared to the other taxing bodies in town," Hassett said in a news release. “It can be confusing to residents as they don’t understand the budget constraints of the Park District versus the funding allocation to the Village and the local School District.”

For 20 years, the fireworks portion of the July 4th event was funded by the Kiwanis Club of Frankfort. Starting in 2016, due to declining membership and funding, the Kiwanis club directed their funds to community service programs, according to the park district.

At that time, Former Mayor Jim Holland worked to secure funding for the fireworks.

“Former Mayor Holland felt it was important to offer residents a safe environment to enjoy the fireworks working to discourage residents from shooting illegal fireworks,” Hassett said.

The Village of Frankfort, Frankfort Firefighter Organizations, the Frankfort Chamber of Commerce and the Frankfort Park District pulled together to cover the cost of the show. The Park District organizes the events of the day.

Hassett said that event attendance is affected each year, as the holiday moves through the week. For several years, the event was also impacted by rain, extreme heat and severe weather, which in 2018 caused the fireworks to be postponed.

The park will open at 7 p.m. this year, to allow people to gather before the fireworks show.

Attendees are encouraged to park at the Village Hall lot, along Locust Street and in the streets surrounding Main Park. The former Borg Warner property adjacent to the park is not available for parking as it has been sold and is under construction, the park district said.

The fireworks show is shot from the south end of Main Park. Seating is allowed in the northern end of Main Park; attendees should bring chairs or a blanket to view the show.

Concessions will be available from 7 p.m. until the fireworks show; DJ entertainment will begin at 7:30 p.m., and the fireworks start around 9:15 p.m.

Alcohol, smoking and firearms are not permitted in the park.