Palos Heights celebrates Fourth of July at annual parade; "It's the best time"
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Southwest suburban Palos Heights held its annual Fourth of July parade on Thursday, following several other Independence Day events Wednesday night.
This parade down Harlem Avenue brought out the entire community, with kids, parents, and grandparents lining both sides of the street.
All of them came out to enjoy the holiday, and many were decked out in red, white, and blue.
Firefighters led the parade with trucks and sirens. Some of the first-timers of the parade had to wear headphones to handle the noise.
Kids came with goodie bags, and the firefighters came with candy to fill them, and some brought water guns to keep the crowd cool after the rain.
For many families, the parade is an annual tradition.
"Every year. We come every year. It is so fun. There's so much candy. The kids have a blast. It's the best time. We come all the time," Crystale Wilcox said.
The parade is the finale for the Independence Day celebration in Palos Heights, which also hosted a fireworks display and other festivities on Wednesday.
"It's just a good community event. It brings everybody out together. It brings families together to celebrate a special day for America. So we love it," Miranda Kowalski said of the parade.
People at the parade said afterward they planned to head to the swimming pool and fire up the grills to finish out their celebrations.