Jerry Ross Headlining Crown Point’s Fourth of July Parade; City Expands Event with More Floats and Fireworks

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. 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 lead this year’s parade as the 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; and TownePlace Suites  Crown Point & Hampton Inn Crown Point.  

Sponsorship applications must be complete 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. Stop by Chipotle in Crown Point on Broadway from 4-8 p.m. June 7.  A portion of proceeds will be donated to the City for the Fourth of July celebration.  

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

The City also will have 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 our 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 their favorite Fourth of July Parade entry by visiting  www.crownpoint.in.gov. Winners will be announced during the August City Council meeting.  

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