Illinois Valley Times

Hennepin is hosting its 41st Fourth of July extravaganza this year, but the celebration never gets old for townsman and village board member Quentin Buffington.

“It’s just a small town celebrating America and enjoying putting on a show,” Buffington told the Illinois Valley Times.

Buffington said the town of 750 typically draws crowds of nearly 5,000 people for the holiday.

“We have one of the loudest fireworks shows you’ll ever witness,” he said. “Everything is held near the river, and we get quite the echo. It’s about showing what rural-town America can do.”

The two parks where the main events are held, Ernest Bassi and Walter Durley Boyle, are separated by a couple of blocks along the riverfront. Activities, including a car show, water fight for kids, bags tournament and bingo, will commence with the local high school choir singing the national anthem.

The state’s oldest courthouse, where Abraham Lincoln is known to have toiled, is also part of the festivities, and a huge American flag is slated to hang near the grounds while a band plays on the courthouse steps.

Other scheduled events include longtime resident Robert Judd being crowned the town’s Citizen of the Year. The owner of a grocery store and construction company that builds homes in the area, Judd was selected for the award on Father's Day by the village board.

“I’ve been either running this event or part of the committee to do so for the last 20 years, and each time the excitement for it gets bigger,” Buffington said. “We’ve always had a great fireworks show, and all the added crowd size has come through word of mouth.”

All the entertainment is free, and Buffington said most of the fireworks come from donations. 

“It’s quite the place to be and a great example of celebrating America,” he said.