Governor J.B. Pritzker officially lifted all COVID-19 restrictions on Friday, but one Fourth of July tradition in Vermilion County will still have to wait another year.
Village board members in Oakwood have decided not to have a July 4th celebration next month, citing concerns related to the pandemic.
Trustee Bob Parr says that the village made a down payment on fireworks for last year’s event that was canceled, and the company decided to keep that money good for this year. However, Mayor Heather McArty says that even with a fireworks show, there would not be a parade since the village could not obtain liability insurance due to prior attendance restrictions, and it is too late to hire enough police officers to provide patrols for an event less than three weeks away.
Parr says that Oakwood will still have a fireworks show sometime this year. He says a fall festival could be possible around Labor Day or Columbus Day, but an exact date is not known.
A number of other Fourth of July fireworks celebrations are planned around the Danville area this year, including events in Covington, the Danville Boat Club, and Turtle Run.
