The future of Evanston’s annual Fourth of July celebration hangs in the balance as prices increase and funds dwindle.
The Evanston Fourth of July Association has been putting on celebrations for the holiday since 1922. While the festivities will go forward as planned this year, a decrease in funding has raised questions around how the event will continue after 2027.
Tracy Alden, the president of the Evanston Fourth of July Association, said the event takes the entire year to plan and requires around $80,000 annually from the association’s endowment fund. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, costs have risen and donations have diminished, Alden said.
With fireworks alone costing approximately $3,000 a minute this year, Alden said the celebration could struggle to sustain itself in the future without more community donations.
“It’s always like pulling teeth (to get donations), and people think the City of Evanston pays for the celebration side of it, which they don’t,” Alden said. “The city would not probably have the time or the money to make it as extravagant as we make it.”
Alden said the city covers some expenses, including providing the space and Police and Fire Departments resources, but everything else is paid for through sponsorships and individual donations.
The association has been working to garner attention and donations through education, media and other efforts, he added.
Each year, the celebration includes competitions called the Morning Games, a large parade of businesses, non-profits and other organizations and a concert followed by a fireworks show.
Alden said the association may soon be forced to make changes, including reductions in fireworks displays and the removal of certain events, if it does not receive more assistance.
“We’re asking everyone who participates in the parade or sees the fireworks to make a contribution,” Trustee Emeritus Bruce Baumberger said.
Each year, the association selects a grand marshal of the celebration to serve as the honorary leader of the procession each year.
In mid-April, the association bestowed this honor on U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Evanston), who is retiring after serving in Congress since 1998.
“We’re honoring her for her public service, so we will be recognizing her in various ways,” Baumberger said. “I’m hoping that many of her constituents will be cheering her as she’s seen along the parade route.”
For years, the Evanston Fourth of July celebration has been one of the largest in the greater Chicago area. Some community members have demonstrated their desire to ensure that the tradition continues.
Evanston resident Stephen Ward said the event has been a “pretty big tradition” in Evanston, dating back to his upbringing in the city in the 1970s and ’80s.
“I don’t have any solutions to fund it, but I certainly hope they can keep doing it, because I think it’s important,” Ward said.
Alden added that events like this one bring character to a community.
“It’s not just tradition, but it’s also what makes the quality of life better because that’s when you connect with people and you share events and you work together or enjoy something together,” Alden said. “That builds memories and that’s what life is all about.”
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