Silence is set to spread across Highland Park at 10:14 a.m. Tuesday to mark the moment one year ago when a gunman opened fire at the city’s Fourth of July parade.
Residents will remember the seven people killed and dozens wounded in the mass shooting at different gatherings throughout the day. The somber anniversary’s events include a ceremony in the morning, a community walk, a picnic and a concert.
The events are an effort to give people in Highland Park an opportunity to participate and reflect on their own terms, Mayor Nancy Rotering said.
“We’ve been working for months to ensure the community will be able to come together safely and in a meaningful way,” Rotering told the Tribune. “We’ve been working from our hearts. We’ve been very deliberative.”
The town’s anniversary events will begin with a City Hall remembrance ceremony. The ceremony is set to include a moment of silence, music and remarks from the mayor and community leaders.
Afterward, Highland Park will host a community walk in lieu of the town’s annual parade. The walk will not include floats or performers who march down Central Avenue most years on Independence Day. The children’s bike and pet parade will also not occur this year, the city wrote.
The walk seeks to actively involve those in attendance, Rotering said.
“And then, as a community, work to sort of reclaim that space,” she said.
The walk will take attendees from City Hall through Central Avenue, along the parade route where shots broke out last year, to Sunset Woods Park. Some attendees will join the walk at the intersection of St. Johns Avenue and Elm Place, according to a city spokesperson.
At the walk’s conclusion, bands will play in Sunset Woods Park during a community picnic.
The day of remembrance is scheduled to conclude with a concert and drone show at Wolters Field. Headliner Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band are set to take the stage at 7:30 p.m., followed by the 12-minute “We Are Highland Park” drone show.
“In consideration of concerns regarding the noise of fireworks and the City’s push for more sustainable alternatives, the annual fireworks display will not be held,” a town spokesperson wrote in a news release.
People hoping to attend the ceremony, walk and evening entertainment are required to register online. The ceremony will also be livestreamed on the Highland Park Facebook page. All events are free, open to the public and will be held rain or shine, according to the city’s website.
The National Weather Service forecast a mostly sunny day with highs in the mid-80s and a slight chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon.
The city is partnering with law enforcement agencies at private, local, state and federal levels to add heightened security for all of the events. Metal detectors will be used to screen attendees at the ceremony, walk and evening entertainment, according to the city’s website.
“Whoever wants to participate in whatever capacity they can participate, they have options and they can choose how they wish to move forward with us as a community,” Rotering said.
The mayor said she hopes the community will be able to focus on celebrating the Fourth of July holiday again someday. But Highland Park must first reflect on the neighbors it lost last year, she added.
Rotering praised the resilience and tightknit bonds her community has shown since the shooting. People in Highland Park will need to be there for one another now, she said.
“This week, we are caring deeply for one another and listening to each other’s stories. There are a lot of hugs, there are a lot of tears. There’s a lot of hand holding. We will continue to move forward on this journey together,” she said.
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