The 4th of July Celebration Committee

The Urbandale 4th of July Celebration Committee is a group of dedicated volunteers that plan and execute the 4th of July festivities in Urbandale. The 4th of July Celebration in Urbandate dates back to 1953 when a street dance was organized for members of the community at 70th and Douglas while a local restaurant jukebox played. By the 1960’s, the festival had expanded to multiple days and included midway rides. Around the 1970’s, a small scale fireworks show joined the schedule. Today, the 4th of July is a cornerstone of Urbandale life and one of the largest celebrations in central Iowa.

The celebration is managed and organized by volunteers in Urbandale just like you! There are a broad range of roles in the committee and we are always looking for people interested in helping. Please fill out the form below to learn more about joining the committee or volunteering to help during the festivities.

  • Entertainment: Riley Schneekloth, Larry Jablonski
  • Events/Special Activities: David Tillinghast, Larry Jablonski, Madison Panek
  • Fireworks: Mary Polson
  • Insurance/Risk Management: Ben Buenzow
  • Parade: Sean Dengler
  • Public Safety: Holly Pickett
  • Publicity and Promotion: Nicole Berger, Chris Herrick, Blake Rozendaal
  • Sponsorship/Fund Raising: Matt Shaw, Lisa Hollis-Keene, Sheryl Jensen
  • Vendors: Tim Mueller, Rhonda Mueller
  • Facilities and Grounds: Tim Smith

Interested in being a part of the celebration?

Name(Required)
The committee has many opportunities to be involved. If you want to contribute to the planning and execution of the event or just have time to help out with one of the activities during the celebration, we'd love to learn more about what your interest is.
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Committee Responsibilities

Entertainment

Responsible for coordinating activities relating to bands, stage rental, beer/entertainment garden, and carnival. 

  1. Music/Bands
  2. Stage Rental
  3. Entertainment/Beer Garden
  4. Carnival

Events (Special Activities) 

Responsible for organizing and arrangement of participants and scheduled events to be held during the Celebration that are not assigned to other committees. 

  1. Cribbage Tournament
  2. Kids Activities
  3. Bags Tournament
  4. Pie Eating Contest
  5. Fun Run

Fireworks 

Responsible for the coordination and implementation of the Celebrations fireworks display. 

Parade 

The parade is one of the most significant projects and the second largest event that draws spectators to the Celebration. Good planning of this event in advance is very important. 

  1. Parade Lineup
  2. Safety Patrol
  3. Golf Cart Rental
  4. Prizes /Judging

Publicity and Promotion

Responsible for all aspects of event promotions.  These include social media, publicity, media contact, annual button theme logo design, banners, signage, brochure, committee website and committee email. 

  1. Publicity/Media Contact
  2. Signage, Brochures, and Banners
  3. Manage Committee Email Account
  4. Photographer
  5. Maintain Website
  6. Social Media (Facebook)

Sponsorships and Fundraising

Participate in finding and building relationships for Urbandale’s 4th of July Celebration Committee that leads to financial sponsorships for the event and or prize donations from businesses, foundations, governments, and individuals to be used as part of our button sales raffle.  We partner with the Urbandale Chamber to solicit sponsorships as part of their annual Total Resource Campaign.  We also do our own outreach for sponsorships and prize donations.  

  1. Work with Urbandale Chamber on Getting Sponsors
  2. Seek out sponsors outside of Chamber TRC process
  3. Organize Selling the Annual Themed Buttons
  4. Collecting Donated Prizes for the Button Raffle

Vendor Relations 

Responsible for all aspects of food and non-food vendors. Contract with vendors annually to ensure that available slots are filled to maximize the potential for generating revenue for the celebration. Organize the location of each vendor to set up. Distribute and collect parking permits reserved for vendors. 

Facilities and Grounds

Responsible for coordinating the set up and take down of items needed relating to the 4th of July celebration.  Other responsibilities include the acquisition of kybos and hand washing stations and working with vendors on where these items should be placed.

  1. Kybos and Handwashing Stations
  2. Coordinate Entertainment Garden Setup and Take Down
  3. Hang up Banners and put out A-Frame signs
  4. Maintain Schedule of Who will be in Park and When
See this year's events
Urbandale Committee Logo
Urbandale, Iowa logo
© Copyright Urbandale, IA 4th of July Committee, Inc 2025 | Iowa Web Design provided by Webspec