Streator 4th of July organizer says volunteers continue to be the stars of festival

Moments after the volunteer-led Streator 4th of July Celebration committee concluded its annual festival featuring the fireworks, carnival and headline bands, organizers started thinking about how to make next year better.

Improved weather is at the top of the list. Unfortunately, the committee can’t control Mother Nature.

Heavy rainfall on Thursday and Friday affected attendance at Northpoint for Firehouse and Eddie Montgomery, said co-chairman Randy Dominic. Despite the wet conditions, attendance was strong for the Everclear show on Saturday, he said, but he wonders what it would have been like if it weren’t for farmers donating hay and straw to help create stable footing on the muddy grounds.

“We put out a call that we were in need of hay and straw, and the amount donated was incredible,” Dominic said. “We were able to put so much out that there wasn’t that much mud out there by Saturday.”

Dominic said it takes a team to put on a festival the magnitude of Streator’s, which featured bands on five nights on a festival grounds that also included a carnival, beer garden and several food vendors. He said the committee had 100 or more volunteers, from selling Liberty Dollars tickets to fundraise for the event, to changing out garbage cans and checking IDs for alcohol sales, among several other tasks.

“The best thing about this festival is that it gives people in Streator something to be proud of,” Dominic said. “This is something Streator people can talk about when they are in other communities.”

The Streator 4th of July Celebration is volunteer-led and funded through sponsorships and donations. The city of Streator contributes its public services, including police, for the festival.

Dominic said a number of items will be reviewed by the committee, in an effort to improve them, from the carnival to the musical schedule.

He said fundraising efforts will be underway to make up for some lost ground because of the rain. A cookout is planned 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 30, at Kroger parking lot, featuring pulled pork sandwiches, hot dogs, hamburgers and smoked sausage for sale. Additionally, the committee will have a golf outing Sept. 25 at the Eastwood, and a tenderloin dinner Nov. 23 at the Moose.

“We are appreciative of everyone who pitches in and everyone who supported us,” said Dominic, who also indicated there are plans to set up another fundraiser in the winter, along with a golf outing in the spring.

“I feel like everyone gave it good reviews, despite the weather.”