Some Chicago-area communities moving forward with fireworks this July 4th

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Wednesday, July 1, 2020
July 4th: Naperville, other Chicago-area communities moving forward with fireworks this weekend
Fireworks traditionally light up the skies over Naperville on the Fourth of July, and the city was determined to celebrate this year's Independence Day regardless of COVID-19 restrictions.

NAPERVILLE, Ill. (WLS) -- Fireworks traditionally light up the skies over Naperville on the Fourth of July, and they were determined to celebrate America's Independence Day again this year regardless of COVID-19 restrictions.

So the show will go on, with a few modifications.

"People wanted the original location, but we couldn't do that because of limited space. Not safely," said Naperville Mayor Steve Chirico.

They are moving the location of this year's show to the south side of the city in Frontier Park in an effort to have more space for people to gather safely. They also plan to have food trucks and port-a-potties.

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It's a far cry from the setup for the annual RibFest, which already planned to move to Romeoville this year before being cancelled.

The city plans to encourage social distancing and masks.

In an effort to limit crowds to the fireworks in Orland Park, they are restricting parking at Centennial Park to residents with current vehicle stickers.

"The stage will be on the other side of this fence," said Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau, as he points at the outfield fence on one of the park's baseball fields.

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This park is where the village traditionally holds July 4th celebrations, including concerts. They said it'll safely accommodate the large crowd, and allow for social distancing.

While many other communities cancelled July 4th celebrations, Orland Park's village board voted in favor of going ahead.

"Fifty-six men put their lives on the line for our independence. And with the stay at home orders this year, we appreciate those freedoms even more," said Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau.