Autocam 5K - WKTV Journal

A pancake breakfast, 5K run, carnival games and of course, fireworks, all adds up to one event — the City of Kentwood’s annual July 4th Celebration.

Taking place on Tuesday, July 4, the celebration kicks off with a pancake breakfast from 7:30 – 9:30 a.m. at a new location, the Kentwood (Richard L. Root) Library, 4950 Breton Rd. SE. For $5, its pancakes and sausage to start off the day.

From there, participants can head next door to City Hall, 4900 Breton Rd. SE, watch the start of the Autocam 5K Race and Fun Walk, which starts at 8:30 a.m. Cheer the runners on as they follow a new course this year that will start and end at City Hall along with allowing race participants to travel through the East West Trail and the neighborhoods west of City Hall.

From City Hall, visitors have an excellent opportunity to snag a viewing spot for this year’s parade which will step off at 9:30 a.m. from Crestwood Middle School, 2674 44th St. SE, exiting out of the south drive on to Walma Avenue. The parade will travel south down Walma to Breton, going right past the Kentwood City Hall. From Breton, the route will go west on 52nd Street, ending at Challenger Elementary School, 2475 52nd St. SE. The annual parade is covered live by WKTV on Channel 25.

The celebration takes a break for the afternoon with evening activities set to start at 6 p.m. at Crestwood Middle School. There will be carnival rides, giant inflatables, food vendors and food trucks along with music by Great Scott, games and of course, the entire evening wrapping up with fireworks. Additional parking and viewing will be available at the City Center, 4900 Breton St. SE. Note, no personal fireworks, sparklers or Chinese lanterns allowed at the public event.

Volunteers for the annual event are still needed. To volunteer or for more information about the July 4th Celebration, visit www.yourkprd.org or call 616-656-5270.

The Kentwood July 4th Celebration is part of the city’s 50th Anniversary celebration. The 50th Anniversary community-wide celebration is set for Aug. 11 and 12. For more information on the Kentwood 50th Anniversary, visit www.kentwood50.com.

Get a front row ticket for the Grand Rapids fireworks at the Grand Rapids Public Museum. — Kentwood’s Fourth of July fireworks will be at Crestwood Middle School.

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

This year, the City of Kentwood has made a few tweaks to its annual Fourth of July celebration – which will be observed on Monday, July 4 – in an effort to make the activities more centralized.

Kentwood’s Marketing and Events Coordinator Laura Barbarick said there was a move by city staff at the recommendation of Mayor Stephen Kepley to pull the events together in one place. So it was decided to have the Kentwood Community Church as the main spot for the morning events with all the evening activities remaining at Crestwood Middle School.

The celebration – which has been taking place for more than 35 years in Kentwood – will kick off like it always has with a pancake breakfast from 7 – 11 a.m. in a tent in the east parking lot of Kentwood Community Church, 1200 60th St. SE. Cost is $7/general, free/children 3 and under for pancakes, sausage and eggs.

Barbrick noted that because both the 5K race and the parade start and end at Kentwood Community Church, participants and visitors will need to vary their route to the church since 60th Street between Eastern Avenue and Ridgebrook Drive will be closed. The recommend route is to enter the Celebration! Cinema South drive off of Kalamazoo Avenue and follow until it dead ends into Eastport Drive. Turn right and follow Eastport until it dead ends into Ridgebrook Drive, turning right on Ridgebrook Drive to the church.

Because of the effort to centralize events both the Autocam 5K Race & Fun Walk and the parade routes are reverse from last year.

The 5K begins at 8:30 am. with racers traveling west towards Eastern, north on Eastern with a turn around near the front of CVS so they head south on Eastern and then east on 60th Street. Registration is open up to the day of the race with late registration and check in are at Kentwood Community Church. For more information, visit www.classicrace.com.

Immediately after the race will be the parade, set to start around 9:30 a.m. The parade starts at 60th Street and Ridgebrook in front of Kentwood Community Church and will travel west on 60th Street then north to the 52nd Street and Eastern Avenue intersection. Anyone interested in participating in this year’s parade should contact the Kentwood Parks and Recreation Department at 656-5270.

The Fourth of July celebration activities continue in the evening at 6 pm. with a carnival at Crestwood Middle School, 2674 44th St. SE., and concluding with fireworks at dusk. There will be a variety of games and rides for the whole family to enjoy. Concession and food trucks will be onsite until 10 p.m.

Volunteers are needed for all portions of the celebration. To volunteer or for more information about the event, visit the Kentwood Parks and Recreation Department’s website, www.yourkprd.org or call 656-5270.