MT. VERNON, IL — The City of Mt. Vernon and the Mt. Vernon Police Department have released parking details regarding the July 4th Salute to Freedom Fireworks display.
The entrance for the free parking at the Mt. Vernon Airport will open at 5pm. Initial entry for the fireworks will be at Firebaugh Drive just west of Aviation Drive, which is the main entrance. No traffic will be allowed in the main entrance at this time, only through the maintenance entrance. This allows for pedestrian traffic and vehicle traffic to be separated.
West bound traffic on IL Highway 15 will be diverted at Dartmouth starting at 7pm and no west bound traffic will be allowed past this point. There will not be any east bound traffic allowed from Old Fairfield Road and highway 15 to Aviation Dr by 8:50pm right as the fireworks display will be getting started.
Upon the completion of the fireworks, Aviation Dr (main entrance) and Firebaugh Dr (maintenance entrance) will be used to allow traffic to leave. Both lanes of IL Hwy 15 will be utilized for west bound traffic to allow quicker exit. The only east bound traffic allowed at the conclusion of the fireworks will be from Aviation Dr. and IL Hwy 15.
Those with an airport pass will be accepted until 7pm.
This year’s Salute to Freedom will also feature concessions, lazer tag, and a bounce house. There will be a live DJ from 5-7pm and then live music from Supe, co-founder of The Ozark Mount Daredevils. WMIX will be broadcasting live as well from 5-7pm.
There is no parking on the sides of the roads surrounding the airport and these areas have been posted no parking. Please use caution in this area as there will be a larger number of vehicle and pedestrian traffic during this time. No personal fireworks, including sparklers, are permitted at this event.