After the COVID-19 pandemic forced a hiatus last summer, a Fourth of July fireworks display is planned for the Peoria Riverfront this year.
Pat Sullivan, owner of Kelleher’s Irish Pub, said Tuesday he is in the process of securing one final permit for a scaled-down fireworks show in the restaurant parking lot as part of the Family Fun Fest fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Club of Peoria.
“Unfortunately, we can't show them off like they usually do, off a barge for the whole downtown and East Peoria,” he said. “But you know what, we’ll take baby steps and go forward. We feel that this is good for the community and for the Boys & Girls Club; we still have a lot of kids in there that we need to help.”
The traditional “Red, White, and Boom” show on the Illinois River was canceled for a second straight year.
“This won't be as big; it'll be more like what the ball diamond does, the Chiefs. But you're so close that it's going to look big,” said Sullivan, adding he didn’t have enough time and money to arrange for a show on the river itself.
Sullivan, who serves on the Boys & Girls Club’s board of directors, said the fireworks display plays a big part in the fundraiser, noting the event generated $72,000 for the organization when it was last held in 2019.
“Just having people sit out here and getting tickets for food and everything, we’ll donate everything to the Boys & Girls Club that day,” he said.
A stretch of Water Street between State and Walnut streets will be blocked off for the festival, with gates opening at 5 p.m. The display will be put on by Central Illinois Fireworks, the company that also runs shows after Peoria Chiefs games.
“What we're trying to do, since they're doing the fireworks at the Chiefs also that night, we're trying to coordinate it to shoot them both off the same time,” said Sullivan. “Light Peoria up, you know. We need it; we need to get out of this funk.”
More information on the Fun Fest can be found on the Boys & Girls Club website.
