The city of Eureka will be celebrating the Fourth of July with its annual parade. The parade will follow the normal route (West Cruger to South Main to West Gloria to South Hilldale).

Lineup will begin 9 a.m. at the Apostolic Christian Home. The parade will begin at 10 a.m.

All parade entries must be residents, businesses, organizations, or representatives that are from a city within CUSD 140.

All entries will be required to check in with a brief description of their float, the name of the person leading the float, and a contact number/email. This information can be shared as you line up or by email to: scottzimmer2@gmail.com.

Attendees are being reminded to be conscious of the remaining challenges of COVID-19 and are strongly encouraged to do their best to spread out along the parade route, respect others, and stay safe.

In addition to the parade, the city is working on a special treat for Eureka residents on the Fourth of July.

More information will be shared as we get closer to the date — but it will not include fireworks.

“We had to make a decision on fireworks in May due to our fireworks contract. With Peoria, Bloomington, and other area communities cancelling, the number of people that would join us in Eureka would be expected to be much larger than normal,” the city stated on its website. “This is always a very well attended event which pushes us near capacity in parking and viewing space during a normal year. The expected number of additional people this year could create public safety issues too difficult to manage.

Guidelines for gatherings:                                   

In Phase 4 of Restore Illinois, gatherings of 50 people or fewer are allowed with the limit subject to change based on latest data and guidance. All outdoor recreation will be allowed. For additional information on Phase 4 of Restore Illinois:
https://coronavirus.illinois.gov/s/restore-illinois-phase-4
It is recommended that if/when residents are in larger groups, or host events:
• DO NOT attend the event if you or a family member feel ill or are experiencing the following symptoms: Fever or chills, Cough, Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, Fatigue, Muscle or body aches, Headache, New loss of taste or smell, Sore throat, Congestion or runny nose, Nausea or vomiting, Diarrhea (does not include all possible symptoms of COVID-19)
• Older adults and persons with severe underlying health conditions are considered to be at increased risk of more serious illness after contracting COVID-19 and should consider not attending large gathering.
• Maintain a distance of 6 feet from others whenever possible
• Cloth face coverings are recommended
• Floats should be timed during the route so members on separate floats do not intermingle
• For floats- Limit riders to 10 people on each float; temperature checks are recommended before the start of the event; keep accurate records of float riders.
• Encourage frequent hand washing of participants and have cleaning products to wipe down frequently touched surfaces, and hand sanitizer available.
• Do not share food or drink items
• If candy is going to be thrown to residents from floats, only one person per float should be in charge of candy distribution while wearing a mask and gloves.
For residents attending (watching) the event:
• DO NOT attend the event if you or a family member feel ill or are experiencing the following symptoms: Fever or chills, Cough, Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, Fatigue, Muscle or body aches, Headache, New loss of taste or smell, Sore throat, Congestion or runny nose, Nausea or vomiting, Diarrhea (does not include all possible symptoms pf COVID-19)
• Older adults and persons with severe underlying health conditions are considered to be at increased risk of more serious illness after contracting COVID-19 and should consider not attending large gathering.
• Maintain a distance of 6 feet from others whenever possible
• Cloth face coverings are recommended
• Watch and gather with only your immediate family (household members)
• Do not share food or drink with others (non-household members)
• Have sanitizing hand wipes or hand sanitizer available during the event