Wheaton Has Rich Independence Day History

Fourth of July celebrations in Wheaton, the DuPage County seat, have woven a long and glorious history into the fabric of Americana. Times have changed but parades, picnics and pyrotechnics have been part of the celebration for more than 100 years.

Parades

1896—“Animals of every size!” This parade included a pet parade with “Everything from an elephant to hummingbird.”

1932—Floats depicting the “History of Wheaton” and the “Life of George Washington” rolled past a crowd of 20,000 visitors, who had come to town to celebrate Washington’s bicentennial birthday.

1946—The “Oldest Couple” was apparently a classic parade entry at this time. Another favorite was the “Decorated Bicycle Division.” But this year’s winning float was a depiction of a Joe Louis heavyweight fight—by a pair of 7-year-olds.

1952—The Wheaton Fire Department thrilled the crowd by “contributing their gleaming new pumper!”

1964—A squad of moms pushing bedecked baby buggies were a big hit in this parade.

1978—High school bands weren’t the only drums around. This year’s bands added international flair: The Arabesque Oriental Band was followed by the Scottish Highland Band—in kilts and carrying bagpipes.

Picnics

1860—“Hundreds of people marched in procession” to the town picnic at the Grove, where tea and sandwiches were served. Apparently, “The Band discoursed most excellent music and the Village choir made the woods vocal with song.” Sounds like a rockin’ good time!

1932—“Basket suppers” were enjoyed with the usual foot races, water fights and baseball games.

1951—Kids in Memorial Park were encouraged to finish their ice cream treats before the exciting, live broadcast of “Captain Stubby and His Buccaneers” on radio station WLS. How could the horse-shoe pitching, card games and softball hope to compete with that?

Pyrotechnics

1896—“The expenditure for fireworks was unusually large. The night will doubtless be lighter than day!”

Year after year, fireworks are reported as “beautiful,” “awesome” and “incredible,” because when it comes to Independence Day celebrations, some things never change.

This article was prepared by the Wheaton Park District with help from the Reference Desk at the Wheaton Public Library.