July 4 parade returning to Highland Park 2 years after mass shooting
Highland Park is bringing back its Independence Day celebrations two years after a gunman opened fire during the community’s annual parade, killing seven people and wounding dozens of others.
This year’s parade, themed “Sweet Home Highland Park,” will kick off at 1 p.m. along a new route through downtown, the city and Park District of Highland Park said in a news release Wednesday.
“Independence Day has traditionally been a special opportunity for our community to come together with beloved traditions,” Mayor Nancy Rotering said in a statement. “As we continue our journey as one Highland Park, we do so with respect, compassion and support for all whose lives were forever changed on July 4, 2022, while maintaining the community spirit that has always been a hallmark of Highland Park’s Independence Day events.”
On the one-year anniversary of the attack last year, the Highland Park community came together for a ceremony to honor the victims. Instead of a traditional parade, thousands marched through downtown together to reclaim the route from the tragic memory.
Roberta Dietzen, whose husband was wounded in the attack, thinks it’s a good thing that the parade is being held again after the city took a year of reflection in 2023.
“You can’t stop all these wonderful things from happening because of this incident,” she said. “I’m all for it.”
Susan Vanderhorst, who was at the parade two years ago, said the reintroduction of the parade is a step toward the community getting back some sense of normalcy.
“I know there are people that are never going to recover because of their physical injuries, but I think mentally it helps us all to move on,” Vanderhorst said. “Of course no one is going to forget it.”
Before the parade, a remembrance ceremony will be held indoors at 10 a.m. on July 4, officials said.
The city and park district are also again holding its Fourth Fest family event after the parade. The festival will feature rides, carnival games, a petting zoo and other family-themed activities at Sunset Woods Park. Fireworks aren’t scheduled to take place.
City officials said those who plan to participate in the parade must register in advance. More details can be found on the city’s website.
Organizers took a trauma-informed approach to planning the events with guidance from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Victims of Crime and communitybased mental health clinicians, city officials said.
The trial date for Robert Crimo III, the alleged gunman, has been postponed until Feb. 24, 2025.
Ashbey Beasley, who was at the parade with her son during the shooting and has since become a vocal gun violence prevention activist, said the community has worked hard to move forward.
She said the plan for a new route is a good way to honor tradition while respecting those who have trouble walking past the crime scene.
“I think it’s time for us to take this day back, I think it’s time to take this holiday back, and to come together and find a new way to celebrate it,” Beasley told the Sun-Times. “It’s a difficult thing when something like this happens, you want to make sure that they don’t get the best of you, that evil does not win.”