Special events in and around arthur...
"The Heart of the Illinois Amish Country"

Arthur's Freedom Celebration and Fireworks
                      June 3, 2010

The birthday celebration for the United States takes on special meaning around Arthur.
Arthur always celebrates on the WEEKEND BEFORE JULY 4TH !!

Crowd picture of the Arthur fireworks provide by TheTintype.com Beginning on Friday afternoon and continuing on Saturday right up to minutes before the fireworks, there will be Flea Markets, food vendors, a petting zoo, mechanical bulls, helicopter rides and much more to do in Arthur. On the Saturday afternoon and evening closest before the 4th, crowds estimated in 2008 at over 30,000 people flock to the fairgrounds on the south edge of Arthur to gain a good vantage point to enjoy the activities. Now in 2010, Arthur offers a reason to come even earlier! Food stands, the end of a baseball tournament, an air show, skydivers, and one recent year, a "F-115 stealth fighter" fly over brought the crowd to it's feet. The Air Show will precede the fireworks and will feature the WW II T-6 aircraft and Skydivers from Mid-America Sport Parachute Club from Taylorville, Illinois with the final skydiver bringing in the American Flag. Back this year is Central Illinois Air from Mattoon offering Helicopter rides on site beginning at approximately 4:00pm with a cost of $ 20.00 per person.

Amish Country's "Rural Patriot" provide by thetintype.comBut these are just a prelude to one of the biggest fireworks displays in central Illinois. A continuous barrage of aerial displays including some of the biggest shells available in the country fill the night sky. And when the "Rural Patriot" makes his ride across 500 feet or more of flowing ground displays, people cheer.

While the Fireworks Amish Children Watching a ParadeSpectacular is held on the closest Saturday before the 4th, Arthur celebrates the 4th itself with parades and games. The traditional American Parade kicks off at about 10am so if you are in the area, find a spot downtown and enjoy the scene. Afterwards, if you want to relax, plan a picnic in one of our parks and watch a baseball game.

Fireworks 2007 Event Maps page. We get quite a crowd for this event so you might want to plan ahead for parking and viewing locations. While the fireworks and displays are free if you walk in, contributions are taken as you leave if you enjoyed the show to fund future displays and to support the Arthur Rotary Club projects.  In addition, please note that many parking areas do have a specific charge to park. Check the Maps Page

 2009 Fireworks Press Release

Events may change as the 4th draws closer. Please call if you are looking for a specific event to take place during the fireworks.


Check The June and July Events Calendar for this years dates.