Several events have been scheduled for today in Rochelle as area residents celebrate the July 4th holiday.
The annual parade begins at 10 at City Hall. It will travel on 7th Avenue and then on Lincoln Highway. The parade continues on Lincoln Avenue, 9th Street, and then on 8th Avenue as it comes to an end at the Lawn Ridge Cemetery. This is the same parade route used on Memorial Day.
Following the parade, a dedication ceremony will take place at the cemetery for the new Rochelle Veterans War Memorial. The guest speaker will be Pal Colwill of Rochelle.
There are 630 veterans who are part of the local War Memorial. The ceremony should start at around 11.
The Rochelle Municipal Band is scheduled to perform at 8 this evening at the Atwood Park bandshell. A fireworks show will finish off the July 4th holiday at dusk.
The Rochelle fire department will be shooting off the fireworks along 20th Street in a field. They will be located near the entrance to the Squires Landing subdivision, just north from their former field location.
They moved due to the wet field conditions. This is the driest area for the event.
Other area firework shows include:
**Byron: Byron Dragway
**Mt. Morris: Part of the "Let Freedom Ring" activities at the David L. Rahn Junior High
School
**Amboy: Amboy Sports Park
**Downtown Rockford
State and local police are ramping up security this weekend for possible acts of terrorism. The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security have issued a bulletin to local law enforcement to be especially vigilant over the Fourth of July weekend.
Security is being stepped up in response to ongoing attack threats by ISIS and other extremists. Authorities say there are no specific threats.