Congratulations to the 2024 Parade Winners
| President’s Award (Best Group Overall): Dance Center Evanston |
| Pelton Plaque (outstanding neighborhood group): Evanston Marching Kazoo Band |
| Chief Judge’s Award (Special Merit): FAAM |
| Commercial Award: 1st American Vintage Home, 2nd Canal Shores Golf Course, 3rd American Taxi Dispatch. |
| Community Float Award: 1st Backlot, 2nd American Legion Post 42, 3rd Falun Dafa. |
| Community Participation Award: 1st Evanston Latinos, 2nd Women’s Club of Evanston, 3rd Evanston Voices for Choice Coalition. |
| Community Performance Award: 1st Second City Samba, 2nd Evanston Township High School, 3rd Central Street Neighbors Assn. |
| Invited Performer/ Band Award: 1st Chicago Highlanders, 2nd Four Star Brass Band, 3rd Chesterton HS Trojan Guard Marching Band. |
| Invited Performer/ Other Award: 1st South Shore Drill Team, 2nd Jesse White Tumbling Team, 3rd Asociación de charros de la mesa. |
| Motor Vehicle Award: 1st Evanston Fire Department and Life Safety, 2nd Windy City Miata Club, 3rd City of Evanston Streets and Sanitation. |
| Youth Award: 1st Evanston Boy Scout Troop 924 with the Evanston Fourth of July Association Liberty Bell Float, 2nd JaHbat, 3rd Thundercats. |
🎈 Celebration Schedule
MORNING GAMES
Starting at 9:00 am at seven locations:
Lincolnwood School, Willard School, Kamen Park, Baker Park, ETHS Track, Fleetwood Jourdain and Robert Crown Community
Center. More Details: CLICK HERE
KIDS FUN RUN
Starting at 12:45 pm
For more details or to sign up CLICK HERE.
TENNIS FINALS
8:00 am – 4:00 pm
Ackerman Park
Managed by the Evanston
Community Tennis Association
www.evanstontennis.org
PARADE
Starting at 2:00 pm
Begins at Central Park Avenue and travels east on Central Street to Ryan Field at Ashland Avenue
BAND CONCERT
7:30 pm – 9:00 pm
Palatine Concert Band
Arrington Lakefront Lagoon at Dawes Park
Tune your radio to 90.5 FM
LAKEFRONT FIREWORKS
9:30 pm A Musical Extravaganza!
Tune your radio to 90.5 FM
Seeds of Change Planters on Parade
Visit all the supporting business locations where our planters can be seen!
We kindly invite you to consider contributing to our 2024 Fourth of July celebration budget.
The Evanston Fourth of July Association wishes to thank you for your unwavering support as we successfully brought back the cherished traditions of our community – the grand parade and spectacular fireworks display – after a three-year hiatus. Your enthusiasm, dedication, and participation played an integral role in making this year’s celebrations a resounding success, rekindling the patriotic spirit in our town.
As we reflect on the joyous memories created this year, we are thrilled to announce that planning has already commenced for the 2024 festivities. With your continued support, we look forward to making next year’s Fourth of July celebration even more remarkable and memorable for all in our beautiful Evanston community. Thank you for being a part of our tradition and for helping to keep the spirit of independence alive in our town.
Evanston’s 4th of July Celebration Sets 2024 Theme
The Evanston Fourth of July Association hopes this year’s ‘Seeds of Change’ theme inspires residents to plant new ideas as the Celebration grows into its second century
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MEDIA CONTACT: Bruce Baumberger
April 17, 2024 Bruce.Baumberger@gmail.com
EVANSTON, IL – Organizers announced today that the theme for this year’s hugely popular Evanston Fourth of July Celebration will be “Seeds of Change” to focus on both the city’s and the event’s future growth as it moves into the next century.
The Evanston Fourth of July Association hopes the theme will help residents and local businesses come up with ideas to keep the annual city-wide celebration – a 100-year-old, completely donation-funded event that includes traditional family games at local school playgrounds, a youth fun run, a well-known parade and then ends with a lakefront evening concert and fireworks – fresh, inclusive and welcoming to all, said EFJA President Tracy Alden.
To give residents a tangible sense of the “Seeds of Change” theme and showcase it for the community, local businesses will sponsor large planters that will be decorated by local artists, students and community groups and distributed around the city in June. They will be planted with plants and objects of the artists’ choice to underscore the decorations.
Before settling on this year’s theme, the EFJA board informally polled a variety of community groups to better understand what they most valued about the annual Independence Day celebration – as well as to get suggestions for how to improve it and help it better reflect all of Evanston’s residents.
VOLUNTEER
We need more hands on deck. If you're interested in planning the celebration or parade, sign up now!
SPONSOR
The generosity of Evanston businesses and citizens continues an Evanston tradition!
Living the Declaration Fellowship
The “Living the Declaration” Fellowship is a new leadership program that will mentor ten volunteers and expand the EFJA Board and celebration teams. Working with partner organizations, the EFJA will provide trainees with the resources they need to succeed as Independence Day parade/event celebration organizers or Trustees as well as year-round leaders across Evanston.
We are looking to develop a younger generation of leaders committed to making Evanston’s single-largest annual event a reflection of our community as a whole. If you would like to be a Fellow or nominate a Fellow, please contact us at info@evanston4th.org.
Thanks to our Celebration Sponsors
Mission Statement:
The Association’s Sole Mission is to provide safe and entertaining family oriented events and activities on the nation’s Independence Day Holiday. Our Vision is for everyone to discover, enjoy and support the wonderful 4th of July traditions this Association has provided since 1922. The Association was founded and continues to operate on these Core Values: freedom of views and expressions, respect for individual rights, responsibility to provide fair and equal treatment of participants and spectators, cooperation with City of Evanston codes and ordinances, and to provide the best Independence Day celebration possible for all to enjoy and remember.