Volunteers make Streator’s Fourth of July a success

Despite lengthy periods of rainfall, Streator’s Fourth of July Celebration attracted about 15,000 people to Northpoint Plaza in a five-day span.

Streator’s Fourth of July Celebration committee president Randy Dominic said that kind of turnout couldn’t have happened without more than 100 volunteers and several community members willing to do whatever it takes to help.

“The community support is overwhelming,” Dominic said. “When we needed a forklift, Vissering Construction and Curly’s Furniture was there to provide us one. Tomkat Roofing had a list of items they provided us, Streator High School provided the bleachers, and the high school football team was out there helping us set up. ... All Type Fence put up a 4-foot chain link fence for us.”

Those were just some of the helpers, Dominic said, noting there were many more.

“I always get asked the question, ‘How does Streator pull it off?’ " he said. “And it takes the community to do it.”

The festival featured musical headliners such as Lita Ford, Joe Nichols and Buckcherry, attracting 4,000 to 5,000 spectators on those nights – most them characterized by bouts of rain.

“There’s no question if it didn’t rain, we would have had record crowds,” Dominic said.

All together, the committee spent about $200,000 on the festival, which includes more than $40,000 on fireworks, leaving an estimated $100,000 in the bank to begin the planning for next year’s festival.

The committee is not affiliated with the city of Streator and generates its revenue from money made during the festival, donations, sponsorships and volunteer efforts.

Dominic said that process starts the moment the Northpoint festival grounds are cleaned up, hinting that the committee will be raffling a chance to win a golf cart soon to raise money for next year’s festival, and will have several other fundraisers throughout the year.

The festival will remain scheduled for the week after July 4 because it allows the committee to attract quality entertainment and to schedule the best fireworks it can.

Dominic said moving the fireworks from Streator High School Athletic Field to Anderson Fields Golf Course was a success, and having the fireworks at the end of the festival concludes the celebration with a bang.

Scheduling the fireworks on a Sunday instead of Saturday also takes on the theme of having more family-oriented activities, such as the parade and the emergency car show, which didn’t occur this summer, but is expected to return in 2022.

“I’ve received lots of positive feedback that it was one of the best shows we’ve ever had,” Dominic said.

The new fireworks vendor, J&M Displays, featured solely aerial displays, rather than the low-to-ground pyrotechnics of past shows.

“People told me they saw the fireworks from 12th Street,” Dominic said, which is the city’s southern border.

Dominic said the fireworks show was stalled in the middle because some of the shells went off low to the ground, causing the company, which conducts the show with a remote control, to make sure the area was safe before continuing.

He’s hopeful the proximity of the fireworks show to the Northpoint stage will bolster the crowd that attends the live entertainment that night.

“Northpoint is a straight shot to Anderson Fields, and the distance is about the same as the open field where everyone sits when the fireworks were at the high school,” Dominic said. “We want people to be able to come and enjoy the show, and still be able to catch the fireworks.”

He said a larger carnival is expected back in 2022.

Dominic said the committee is always looking for more volunteers, including younger community members.

If anyone is interested in helping with the celebration, they can email Dominic at chairman@streators4th.org.