Jerry Ross to Headline Crown Point’s Fourth of July Parade and Expanded Celebration

The City of Crown Point is celebrating America 250 with a bigger-and-better Fourth of July celebration.

The parade will begin at **11 a.m. on Saturday, July 4**, on Main Street at Crown Point High School and end at the Tank on Goldsborough Street.

To commemorate the 250th anniversary, there will be **25 floats highlighting America’s story**, from the Boston Tea Party to the 1969 Moon Landing, and **seven floats celebrating Crown Point’s local history**.

NASA astronaut and U.S. Air Force veteran **Jerry Ross** will serve as this year’s grand marshal. Honorees also include **Indiana Supreme Court Justice Geoffrey Slaughter** and **Crown Point philanthropist Don Burrell**.

Staging for the parade will begin at **8:30 a.m.** Parade participants will stage at Crown Point High School. Emergency vehicles will line up along South Main Street between Burrell Drive and Cleveland Street.

This year’s enhanced fireworks show, presented by **Mad Bomber Fireworks Productions**, will begin at dusk (approximately **9 p.m.**) at the **Lake County Fairgrounds, 889 S. Court St.**

Food vendors will be set up near the Grandstand beginning at **5 p.m.**

> “This year’s parade will be a fantastic celebration honoring this significant milestone in our country. The Fourth of July Parade has always been one of my favorite events, and I look forward to an even bigger celebration this year,” Mayor Pete Land said. “Stay tuned for more surprises as we honor our past while looking toward the future.”

Parade applications are currently open and close **Saturday, June 20, 2026**.

To date, sponsors for this year’s celebration include:

* American Structurepoint
* Bapple & Bapple
* Butler, Fairman & Seufert Civil Engineers
* Carstar Liss Body & Paint
* Cory & Lauren Detamore Family
* Commonwealth Engineers, Inc.
* Crown Point Clerk-Treasurer Dave Benson and Staff
* Crown Point Community Foundation
* Crown Point residents Donald and Alice Burrell, Chuck and Sherri Smoljan, and Jan Smoljan
* Culver’s of Crown Point
* Diamond Peak Homes
* Etzler Lawhead Legal Group
* Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana
* Horizon Bank
* Jeffrey's Belush Jewelers
* Katiko Creative
* McMahon & Associates
* Northwestern Indiana Building & Construction Trades Council
* Olthof Homes
* Ozinga
* PBS
* Powering America
* Puntillo & Crane Orthodontics
* Surf Internet
* Ron Pierce, State Farm Agent
* Strack & Van Til
* The Chuck and Joy Kolar Family
* The McCord Family
* The Nickla Group
* Town Planner
* TownePlace Suites Crown Point
* Hampton Inn Crown Point

Sponsorship applications must be completed by **Saturday, June 13**. For more information or to sign up, visit **crownpoint.info/july4**.

In honor of the milestone, the City is partnering with local businesses for **Red, White & Give** fundraisers for the parade. Residents can stop by **Chipotle in Crown Point on Broadway from 4–8 p.m. on June 7**, where a portion of proceeds will be donated to the City’s Fourth of July celebration.

Residents will also have the opportunity to purchase commemorative **America 250** apparel from **Generate** by visiting **crownpoint.info/250store**.

The City will also offer commemorative **America 250 ornaments** for sale beginning in mid-June on the first floor of **City Hall, 101 N. East St.**

A special thank you goes to the **2026 Fourth of July Parade Planning Committee**, led by **Chuck and Sherri Smoljan**. The committee began working with the City in summer 2025 to make the 250th parade bigger and better than ever.

The community is invited to vote for its favorite Fourth of July Parade entry by visiting **[Click for Details](Click for Details)**. Winners will be announced during the August City Council meeting.

For more information about the parade or to volunteer, call the **PACE Department at 219-661-2271**.