Schedule of festivities
- Kick off the day with the Big Boom 5k Race at 7:30 a.m. starting from Greek’s Pizzeria
- Entertainment at Lions Park begins at 5 p.m.
- Enjoy food from various vendors throughout the park
- Kids Games will be taking place throughout the evening, including a balloon toss and watermelon eating contest
- Kids Corner, located in the southwest corner of the Lions Park and sponsored by Celebration Central, offers $10 wristbands allowing unlimited access to the bounce house area
- Miss Indiana 2018, Lydia Tremaine, will sing the national anthem at 7:00 p.m. followed by a Presenting the Colors ceremony.
- Fireworks begin at dusk
A longstanding tradition
The Zionsville Lions Club has sponsored Zionsville’s Fourth of July celebration since 1979. All funding comes through the Lions Club and their partners.
“We get upwards of 10,000 people (at the event),” July 4 celebration chairman Steve Gayheart said. “The people of Zionsville have always made this a great event. It seems to grow each year.”
The Lions Club organizes a Fourth of July raffle in conjunction with Akard True Value Hardware. The winner has the choice between $500 cash or a Weber Genesis grill provided by Akard True Value. Raffle tickets will be sold near the gazebo. Tickets can be purchased in advance at Akard True Value or from any Lions Club member.
Traditionally, people begin arriving at the park early in the day to claim their firework-watching spots by setting down blankets or lawn chairs. At 5 p.m., Lions Park festivities begin.
Various food vendors are spread throughout the park, including Greek’s Pizzeria, ice cream from The Scoop, Coco Bongos slushies, The Donut Refinery, elephant ears, kettle corn and more. The Lions Club will be selling tenderloins, hot dogs, french fries and drinks from the concession stands, and they will have a separate lemonade stand.
Kids Games will be taking place throughout the evening, including a balloon toss and watermelon eating contest. The Boys & Girls Club helps organize the games. Kids Corner, located in the southwest corner of the Lions Park and sponsored by Celebration Central, offers $10 wristbands allowing unlimited access to the bounce house area
Throughout the evening, Miss Indiana and Miss Outstanding Teen Indiana will walk around and sign autographs. At 7 p.m. Miss Indiana 2018, Lydia Tremaine, will sing the national anthem, followed by the Presenting the Colors ceremony led by Boy Scouts.
“(Zionsville) Police Department and (Zionsville) Fire Department are very involved in this event,” Gayheart said. “Tim Reinhart and Mike Heffner are the co-chairs of this event. They do a lot to help me. It’s a group effort.”
There is a five dollar charge to park in the Lions Club lot or the Citgo lot, located across from Century 21 Scheetz on Zionsville Road. This charge helps the Lions Club recoup some of the cost of the event.
“We love serving our community and we appreciate the town of Zionsville embracing this event,” Gayheart said.
Big Boom 5k Run
The Big Boom 5k inaugural race takes place July 4 at 7:30 a.m. The 3.1 mile race leaves from Greek’s Pizzeria at 30 N. Main St. and finishes back on Main Street. All participants will receive medals and free pizza, cookies and refreshments. The first 200 people to register will receive a Big Boom 5k t-shirt. There will be music, awards and holiday-related prizes. Run2Race gives awards for the overall winning time, as well as best times for each age group. Registration for this event is available through July 4 at Greek’s or online.
For more info and to register for the race: http://www.run2race.com/4th-of-july-big-boom-5k.html
Other nearby festivities
BOONE COUNTY 4TH OF JULY CELEBRATION
The Boone County Fourth of July Parade will begin at 1 p.m. in downtown Lebanon. Fireworks will launch from the Lebanon Middle School at 10 p.m. and will be coordinated to patriotic music played by Lebanon’s “Radio Mom”. Both events are sponsored by the BoCo 4th of July Committee.
WESTFIELD ROCKS THE 4TH
From 4 to 10:30 p.m. July 4, the annual Westfield Rocks the 4th event will be taking over Grand Park. Featuring a hot dog eating contest, car show, fireworks synchronized with music and more. New this year, the Colts Zone will feature the Colts in Motion traveling museum, where fans can learn more about the Indianapolis Colts, Lucas Oil Stadium and play trivia.
CARMEL FEST
CarmelFest takes place July 3 – 4. Enjoy food, live entertainment, a talent show, parade, activity zones and fireworks. This event includes three stages with a full schedule of live music, a KidZone and ExtremeZone with activities like a climbing wall and zip line, and more. The parade begins at 10:30 a.m. on July 4.
SPARK!FISHERS
An inaugural event for the City of Fishers, Spark!Fishers will kick off at 8 a.m. June 30 with a 5K walk/run and the Fishers Farmers Market. The street fair opens at 11 a.m., followed by the parade at 7 p.m. and fireworks at 10 p.m. in the city’s Nickel Plate District. A rain makeup date is July 1. For more, visit sparkfishers.com.
