"When You Think of Americana, This is it"

Image courtesy of the News Tribune
Crowds gathered on the riverfront at Hennepin to view the village’s 39th Fourth of July celebration on Saturday.

Quentin Buffington of Hennepin has been part of Hennepin’s Fourth of July Committee for 20 years. He said after 39 years of the village hosting the celebration, “we’re getting pretty good at it.” He said the Hennepin venue is unique because there are only a couple of places between Henry and Ottawa that host their fireworks on the Illinois River.

He said the large turnout of people attending the celebration could have to do with rain in the past weeks. After the large amount of rain the area has experienced, “people were just dying to get out of the house.”

Hennepin Mayor Kevin Coleman said since the first Fourth of July celebration, the village celebrated, the event has gotten bigger and bigger.

Bill and Virginia York of Varna said they came to hear “Simply Patsy,” a tribute to Patsy Cline by Mary Pfiefer.

“It’s the ’50s,” Virginia added, saying they were both happy about the music choice for the celebration.

Even people from Chicago came for the festivities. Alberto Garcia and Jacqueline Abreu of Chicago said they wanted to get out of the city for the holiday. Abreu said she has been to Hennepin a handful of times since she was a child. They both said they like the small-town feel of the area, which is what got them to attend the event.

Jeff and Max Anke of Peru and Nancy Johnson, who lives in the country outside Hennepin, said the event is very family-oriented and said they enjoyed the fireworks last year.

“When you think of Americana, this is it,” Johnson said.

Source: News Tribune