Fourth of July festivities to take place in Bloomington Friday

This Independence Day, residents of Bloomington will celebrate the United States’ 232nd birthday with a parade, music, food and fireworks. \nAbout 10,000 people are expected to fill the streets of downtown Bloomington this Friday for the city’s annual Fourth of July parade. There are more than 100 entries for this year’s parade including the Red Hats and Purple Chap Galloping Grannies, Cutters Soccer and the Stone Belt Shrine Club Mini-Cycle unit. \nProgram Specialist with the City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department Sarah Nix has had an integral role in planning this year’s parade. \n“This year is special because the Bloomington courthouse will celebrate turning 100 years old,” Nix said. \nIt is the Shriners’ first year in the parade. The organization has been riding on mini-cycles since 1969 to raise awareness for Shriners’ Hospitals. “We are excited for their entry,” Nix said. “It will add a new element to the parade.” \nStudents from Bloomington High School North and Bloomington High School South bands are coming together to play in the parade for the first time since 2002. \nJacobs School of Music graduate Janis Stockhouse, who has been the director of the Bloomington High School North band for 27 years, explained the excitement band members have about the opportunity to participate in the parade. \n“No current students have ever marched in the July parade, so there is a certain buzz amongst them,” Stockhouse said. “It is important to make them see the value in their talent and to give back to the community.” \nHoosier Hills Food Bank will also be collecting food during the parade. The organization will have a food-bank truck as the second to last entry in the parade, and volunteers will be walking alongside it to collect food donations.\nThe parade is set to begin at 10 a.m. and will last about one hour. The route begins at 10th Street and College Avenue and travels south on College and east on Fifth Street, then north on Walnut Street and ends at 10th and College. \nFollowing the parade, members of the community are invited to the Monroe County Courthouse lawn at 11:30 a.m. for an awards ceremony and a performance by The Kookamongas, “a fun jazz, funk and rock band,” Nix said. \nA centennial birthday cake and children’s activities will also take place on the lawn following the parade. \nLater that night, the Bloomington AMVETS organization will be hosting a fireworks show at Memorial Stadium. The display begins at dusk. \nBloomington resident Mark Johnson has been taking his children to Fourth of July activities for the last four years. \n“They love coming, and this year with all the extra stuff going on, it should be really special,” Johnson said.