After overnight rain and cloudy skies early, the annual Independence Day celebration kicked off at 7:30 a.m. Thursday under the newly renovated pavilion at Harmon Park at West 77th Place and Delmar Street.
Nearby, families enjoyed a brand new inclusive playground before heading down the hill to a slip and slide, a petting zoo and pie-eating contest.
In case you missed it — or want to spot familiar faces — here’s a look at how VillageFest 2024 went down.
A friendly dinosaur skeleton roamed in front of the newly renovated pavilion at Harmon Park. Photo credit Juliana Garcia.Claridge Court, a retirement community Prairie Village, was given the city’s 2024 Community Spirit Award. Claridge Court Executive Director Rob Salierno, above left, accepted the award from Mayor Eric Mikkelson on Thursday. Photo credit Juliana Garcia.Children enjoyed swinging at the new playground at Harmon Park, part of recent updates the city made to the park off West 77th Place and Delmar Street. Photo credit Juliana Garcia.The new Harmon Park playground is now open to the public and features treetop-style equipment with slides, swings and more. Photo credit Juliana Garcia.A guaranteed hit at VillageFest: the slip and slide. Photo credit Juliana Garcia.The mayor also threw candy to kids from the ladder of a firetruck. Above, the (mostly) friendly competition to catch as much candy as possible. Photo credit Juliana Garcia.The pony rides at VillageFest 2024 brought a smile to this little girl’s face. Photo credit Juliana Garcia.Another hit at VillageFest: the bubble station. Above, a little boy was thrilled with a large bubble. Photo credit Juliana Garcia.The line to the face-painting station at VillageFest was long but seemingly worth it. Take this girl’s reaction to her face paint and glitter as evidence. Photo credit Juliana Garcia.It was a bit muggy on Thursday morning after the rain, and some like this young girl took that opportunity to cool down with sno-cones. Above, she carefully picks flavors for her shaved ice snack. Photo credit Juliana Garcia.
👋 Hi! I’m Juliana Garcia, and I cover Prairie Village and northeast Johnson County for the Johnson County Post.
I grew up in Roeland Park and graduated from Shawnee Mission North before going on to the University of Kansas, where I wrote for the University Daily Kansan and earned my bachelor’s degree in journalism. Prior to joining the Post in 2019, I worked as an intern at the Kansas City Business Journal.
