Yorkville Groups Step Up to Keep July 4 Celebration Going

Get those rockets and sparklers ready, there is still life in the Yorkville annual Independence Day celebration.

With the disbanding of the Fireman’s Association late last year, the future of the Yorkville July 4 celebration was left up in the air.

However, a number of area organizations have come together to ensure the continued holiday event, Mayor Gary Golinski announced last week. The association held two meetings in January to discuss passing the Independence Day sparklers on to the next hosts.

Golinski, who attended both meetings, said several community groups want to form a 501(c)3 organization to sponsor the annual event, complete with its own insurance policies. However, he said there is not enough time for the necessary work to create such an organization and secure the necessary liability insurance. Golinski said this year the celebration will be under the “umbrella of the city,” until the new non-profit organization can be properly established.

“I don’t want the July 4 celebration to become a ‘city thing,’” Golinski said during last week’s council meeting. “But, a lot of progress has been made to keep this celebration going.”

For 57 years the Bristol Kendall Firemen’s Association organized the annual Independence Day celebration. But with the changing times and the diminished role of the association, it became time to pass off the July 4 responsibilities to another group, Bristol Kendall Fire Chief Michael Hitzemann told Patch.

Hitzemann said if no other groups stepped up to take over the annual event, the 2013 celebration would go on, but would be much smaller. The firemen’s association has approximately $11,000 left in its coffers for the July 4 celebration. Other groups will look to raise money to pay for the fireworks display and other events, Golinski said. He added New Life Covenant Church offered to sponsor children’s rides at the celebration.