Oak Lawn Celebrates America’s Birthday in Record-Breaking Heat

It was one for the record books, 103 degrees in in mid-afternoon, although the official temperature reading was O’Hare International Airport at 102.

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didn’t stop hundreds of Oak Lawn residents from coming out and enjoying the village’s Fourth of July Parade that started at 10 a.m.

was the grand marshal as dozens of floats, organizations, businesses, churches and stilt walkers followed him in a parade that lasted just shy of an hour.

and the crushed it on the patriotic numbers. Water bottles were the most popular item thrown off the floats after the candy.

After the parade, residents followed the float to for the second annual rubber ducky contest down Oak Lawn Lake and the free all-you-could-eat sno-cones.

By noon, everyone was ready to go home and enjoy the air-conditioning.

Happy birthday, America, here's wishing you many more to come.

(Many thanks to Chief George Sheets and Oak Lawn Fire and Rescue for their assistance when I was about to keel over from the heat.)

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CORRECTION: Straight from the 'I'm an idiot department,' Patch misidentified the Marist High School Girls' Softball 2012 State Champions. I must have missed the big sign in the photo that said "Softball Champions." Patch regrets the error.