Gravesite of Aaron Miner, who served in the Revolutionary War and was buried at the Elk Grove Cemetery. (Photo by Emil Schiavo)
A morning cemetery rededication drew a large crowd, and evening storms failed to stop a holiday concert, though a weather phenomenon dampened the subsequent fireworks display during Elk Grove Village’s Fourth of July festivities.
The events marked a dual celebration for the municipality, commemorating both the 250th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence and the village’s 70th anniversary.
The evening headliner, country music artist Jake Owen, took the stage at Rotary Green just 15 minutes late despite early evening storms. Kitty Vanderweel Weiner of EMG Entertainment praised stage crews and Owen’s team for quickly covering sound equipment before the fast-moving storm hit and drying the stage afterward. Attendees had briefly retreated to their vehicles when sirens sounded hours before the show.
Bugler plays Taps in remembrance of those who have served and are buried at the cemetery. (Photo by Emil Schiavo)
While the concert proceeded smoothly, the subsequent fireworks were impacted by what meteorologists termed a “temperature inversion.”
WGN meteorologist Morgan Kolkmeyer explained that the inversion acted like a lid on a boiling pot, trapping smoke in the sky. Vanderweel Weiner noted that while low-altitude fireworks remained clear, higher-level fireworks “looked like colored puff balls” blurred by a foggy haze.
Vanderweel Weiner added that while no event in the Elk Grove Village Mid-Summer Concert Series has ever been canceled due to weather, past acts have faced similar elements, including Martina McBride performing in a mist and crews drying the stage for Pat Benatar.
Honor guard members march in before taking their positions for Saturday’s (July 4) rededication of Elk Grove Cemetery. (Photo by Emil Schiavo)
Earlier in the day, officials and residents gathered for the rededication of the historic Elk Grove Cemetery. The site recently underwent extensive renovations funded by private donations raised in a drive led by Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson. Aligned Data Centers provided parking for nearly 200 attendees, who were shuttled to the ceremony.
The 200-year-old cemetery contains nearly 460 graves, including veterans from the Civil War, both World Wars, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and local first responders. Notably, it is the final resting place of Eli Skinner and Aaron Miner, two veterans of the Revolutionary War.
“What an honor and a source of pride it is for our entire community to be the home of the final resting place of two soldiers who fought so bravely to secure our freedom as a nation,” Johnson said. “And it is so fitting to rededicate this hallowed ground on the 250th anniversary of our Declaration of Independence.”
Col. Gina Stramaglio, an Elk Grove Village native and commander of the U.S. Air Force’s 74th Air Refueling Squadron, also spoke at the ceremony.
Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson (left) and Col. Gina Stramaglio, an Elk Grove Village native and commander of the U.S. Air Force’s 74th Air Refueling Squadron, at the Saturday, July 4 rededication of the Elk Grove Cemetery. (Photo by Emil Schaivo)
“The Revolutionary War veterans buried in this cemetery could have never imagined the nation that their sacrifice would help create,” Stramaglio said. “May every visitor here understand that freedom is not free.”
Mike Scharringhausen, president of the Elk Grove Cemetery Association Board, expressed gratitude for the upgrades, noting the dramatic transformation of the grounds over the past 18 months.
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