Despite a request from Naperville Salute organizers to move the July Fourth firework show to Knoch Park, it will remain at Frontier Sports Complex after the park district board rejected the move.
Naperville’s July Fourth fireworks show is staying at Frontier Sports Complex on the south side of the city.
The park district board made it official at Thursday’s meeting as the majority of the commissioners rejected a request from Naperville Salute organizers to move the fireworks — actually to be held the night of July 3 this year — to Knoch Park so the show would be closer to the location of the four-day celebration at Rotary Hill.
As part of an agreement, the park district will assist Naperville Responds for Veterans with contracting a company for the fireworks. Park district staff also will handle the logistics at Frontier Sports Complex on the day of the fireworks.
Board members Rich Janor and Josh McBroom were in favor of moving the fireworks to Knoch Park, but four other commissioners voted to keep them at Frontier Sports Complex.
Michele Clemen, a Naperville Salute organizer from NRFV, told board members the group had been in contact with representatives from Naperville Unit District 203, Edward Hospital and the Naperville Cemetery Association, and received preliminary support from each entity for the fireworks to move to Knoch Park.
“They’re making a request, and the request is reasonable,” Janor said. “It’s not fair to them, in my opinion, to separate them and make people decide. No one’s going to both. They’re going to decide, ‘I’m going here or I’m going there.'”
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But other board members said they’d received feedback from residents who wanted the fireworks to remain at Frontier Sports Complex.
“Even before I was on the board, I had heard from the community how successful … the fireworks were at Frontier,” said Board Vice President Mary Gibson. “I agree no decision we make will ever please a hundred percent of the community. But before I was even on the board, and now since being on the board, that’s been the overwhelming feedback I’ve received.”
The park district board also voted Thursday to allow this year’s Naperville Salute to expand from three to four days, running from July 1 through the Fourth.
