The Promise of Parade Day
In America’s 250th year, Lake Buff prepares to celebrate one of its most enduring summer traditions
The first Lake Bluff community-wide Independence Day celebration was organized in 1911 under Village President John H. Howard, who believed civic pride was something worth celebrating. That year’s festivities began with a parade leaving Village Hall at 8:30 in the morning and making its way to Lake Front Park (today’s Sunrise Park), where residents gathered for music, speeches, races, games, and a day at the beach.
One detail from that first parade feels especially fitting for Lake Bluff. According to accounts published in The Chat at the time, temperatures reached a sweltering 110 degrees in the shade. Still, residents turned out in force. The newspaper observed that “the sun did not equal the white heat of enthusiasm met with everywhere.”
The parade featured Civil War veterans, Boy Scouts, floats, wagons and cars, a Libertyville band and Lake Bluff firefighters riding proudly through town. The firefighters were such crowd favorites that The Chat remarked they “always got the glad hand all along the line.”
Today, the parade has grown into one of Lake Bluff’s signature events, with 80 to 90 floats, marching groups, and community organizations winding through town each year. “Any local organization is welcome to march and we always aim to entertain,” said Josh Fox, vice president of the parade committee. “The Mowers always bring something unexpected, so that’s always fun for the crowd.” While much has evolved over the decades, one tradition remains steadfast: Lake Bluff firefighters still proudly close out the parade just as they have for generations.
“At this point in our lives, we have a second chance to relive special days like a Lake Bluff Fourth with our grandchildren,” said Nancy Gulberg, a Lake Bluff resident of nearly 40 years. “It gives us such joy to see the excitement on their faces.”
More than a century later, the route may look different and the faces may have changed, but the spirit remains remarkably familiar. Every Fourth of July, Lake Bluff still gathers for the same reason it did in 1911: to celebrate community, tradition, and a village that knows how to show up for one another.
Amelia Hansen, who grew up on the parade route and is now a rising sophomore at the University of Wisconsin, said, “Now that I’m away at school, coming home for the summer makes me appreciate the parade even more. It’s a tradition that connects generations, brings us together, and always makes Lake Bluff feel like home.”
