Lennox prepares for Old Fashioned Fourth of July celebration

The City of Lennox celebrates the Fourth of July with a bang every year with its Old Fashioned Fourth of July event. In 1984, members of the St. Magdalen Catholic Church congregation organized the first-ever “Old Fashioned Fourth of July” activities for the day, hoping it would become an annual tradition. Their hopes were realized, as the event has continued to grow, with this year marking the 42nd anniversary. Today, the celebration is spearheaded by the Lennox Commercial Club.

This year’s festivities will take place over three days—Thursday, July 3, Friday, July 4 and Sunday, July 6, 2025—offering fun for all ages.

The celebration kicks off Thursday evening, July 3, with great family fun on Main Street beginning at 5:30 p.m. Car enthusiasts can take part in the popular Cruise Night. Also at 5:30 p.m., the Little Miss Pageant will be held at the bandshell in Westerman Park. Later in the evening, North Main Street will be filled with music and dancing during the street dance from 7:30 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. 

Whiskey Rich will open the Street Dance, with Weston Frank headlining the night. 

Whiskey Rich is a South Dakota based band formed in 2014. They have shared the stage with national acts Tracy Byrd, Neal McCoy, Scotty McCreery, Sawyer Brown, Michael Ray, Tyler Farr, Granger Smith, Josh Abbott Band, Casey Donahew Band, and Night Ranger. 

Weston Frank has become a staple in South Dakota Country Music. His show is comprised of covers of great country music hits and a few of his own tunes sprinkled in. 

Food trucks will be available inside the gate during the concert. Tickets for the event are available now and will be available at the gate the night of the event. 

Friday, July 4, offers a full day of events. The parade, always a highlight of the celebration, begins at 10:30 a.m. with lineup at the sports complex at the corner of Hwy 17 and Hwy 44. Attendees are reminded that there is no parking along the parade route, which will start at the south end of Main Street and head north to First Avenue. From there, it will turn west onto First Avenue, then continue north on Elm Street, ending at Second Reformed Church.

The annual Car Show at Park Drive will also be held July 4 and feature cars, trucks, motorcycles, and tractors, with registration beginning at 9 a.m. and the showing running from noon to 3:00 p.m. 

The Lennox Museum will open its doors from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the fourth, closing during the parade. 

The Firecracker Fun Run starts at 8 a.m. at Lennox High School on July 4, with 10K, 5K, and 1-mile races.  Registration begins at 7 a.m. 

Festivities continue at Westerman Park on July 4 with craft and food vendors from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Phil Baker will perform at 12:30 p.m., and live music will follow from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. The popular kiddy pedal pull starts at 1:30 p.m. at the park. 

The day will wrap up with a municipal band concert at 8 p.m. at the bandshell and a fireworks show at dusk, launched from the high school parking lot.

The celebration concludes on Sunday, July 6. A community worship service will be held at 10:30 a.m. in the park, with attendees encouraged to bring a chair. The weekend’s final event, a tractor pull, will take place at 1 p.m. at the 4H fairgrounds.

From parades and concerts to fireworks and family fun, Lennox’s Old Fashioned Fourth of July Celebration continues its proud tradition of bringing the community together.

Check out page 8 of this week’s paper for a complete schedule of events.