Oak Lawn's 2015 Fourth of July Plans Revealed

The Village of Oak Lawn and Oak Lawn Park District are finalizing plans for Fourth of July community events. From morning to evening, there is plenty to do for residents of all ages. If you have guests over, bring them along too. All activities for scheduled for the day of actual adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress -- Saturday, July 4 -- because that’s how we roll in Oak Lawn.

Fourth of July Parade

The Village of Oak Lawn’s annual Fourth of July parade will commence at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 4. The parade steps off from 95th Street and 51st Avenue. The procession will head westbound on 95th Street and end at 55th Court. (Think Cold Stone Creamery to Premo’s.)

The parade features dozens of churches, scout troops, civic organizations, school bands, youth teams, fire and police, veterans, park district groups and businesses, plus Chicago sports team mascots and those guys on the stilts.

Your local elected officials will also be walking the parade route. The village is pretty good about throwing in add-ons to keep the parade interesting. Please watch your kids when they go diving into the street for candy because we’ve seen some scary near misses over the years.

Star Spangled Fourth of July Celebration

After the parade, head over to Centennial Park for the Oak Lawn Park District’s annual Star Spangled Fourth of July Celebration. The park district has a full line up of family activities from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the park, 94th Street and Nashville Avenue.

The day features plenty of carnival fare including an obstacle course, kids tattoos, carnivals, games, tricycle car wash, bouncy houses, bingo, crafts, magician, balloon animals, concessions and more.

Other highlights include:

• Oak Lawn’s Got Talent sponsored by Cusack Insurance
• Treasure Hunt sponsored by Oak Lawn Firefighters Local 3405
• Freshline’s Watermelon Eating Contest

Passes for children ages 3 and older are $5 for all daytime activities, including access to Centennial Pool. admission to daytime activities is free for adults, and special $2 holiday rate for all Oak Lawn pools.

Music and Fireworks

FREE evening entertainment will be held at Richards High School , 106th Street and Central, for pre-fireworks music provided by GAC Entertainment, starting at 8:15 p.m., followed by the spectacular fireworks display at dusk co-sponsored by the Village of Oak Lawn and Oak Lawn Park District.

Gates open at 6 p.m. and spectators are strongly advised to arrive early and stake out a spot to view the fireworks with your chairs and blankets.

Patch’s 2015 Fourth of July Fireworks Guide

Visiting in another south suburb for the Fourth of July? Impress your family and friends by knowing the times and locations of every fireworks show in the Southland with Patch’s 2015 Fourth of July Fireworks Guide.