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Juliana Garcia
Juliana Garcia
Community Events
1 min. read

PHOTOS: Families enjoy Fourth of July at VillageFest 2025

This year's VillageFest to honor Independence Day drew plenty of happy faces, community awards and, of course, the annual pancake breakfast.

A young boy, Zach, plays at the
A young boy, Zach, plays at the "Little Village" on the Fourth of July. Photo credit Juliana Garcia.

VillageFest 2025 featured smiles, bubbles and special community awards.

The city of Prairie Village’s annual Independence Day celebration kicked off at 7:30 a.m. on Friday with a pancake breakfast and a recognition ceremony for residents earning community spirit awards.

Here’s a look at VillageFest 2025 through the Post’s lens. (See VillageFest 2024 photos here.)

Lisa Elsener receives a community spirit award
Lisa Elsener, a Special Olympics Gold medalist, receives a 2025 community spirit award. Elsener started competing in Special Olympics 46 years ago, and has won 10 medals in that time. Photo credit Juliana Garcia.

Keep reading community events news: Shawnee man will compete in Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating contest in NYC

Dr. George and Trudy Williams receive a lifetime spirit award
Dr. Georg and Trudy Williams receive a lifetime spirit award for their work as founders of STAND Up For Black Lives+ Prairie Village as well as with the city’s diversity committee. Photo credit Juliana Garcia.
Kids catch candy at VillageFest2025
This year, kids caught candy being thrown by Mayor Eric Mikkelson off of a firetruck. Photo credit Juliana Garcia.
The slip and slide at VillageFest 2025
With a high of 92 degrees, kids cooled down on Friday by taking a whirl on the slip and slide at VillageFest 2025. Photo credit Juliana Garcia.
A young boy admires turtles at the petting zoo.
Kids and their families also saw animals like goats, kangaroos and piglets at the petting zoo. Above, a young boy admires turtles. Photo credit Juliana Garcia.
A young girl creates a large bubble at VillageFest 2025.
The bubble making station at VillageFest 2025 drew a large crowd, including this young girl who was able to create large bubbles. Photo credit Juliana Garcia.
An adult blows bubbles at VillageFest 2025
Adults also took part in the bubble action at VillageFest 2025. Photo credit Juliana Garcia.
A young girl gets her face painted at VillageFest 2025
Face painting is always a crowd favorite at VillageFest. Above, a young girl gets a unicorn painted on her face. Photo credit Juliana Garcia.
A young boy smiles at VillageFest 2025.
Prairie Village’s annual Fourth of July brought smiles to many faces on Friday. Above, a young boy smiles as he walks toward the VillageFest activity center. Photo credit Juliana Garcia.
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About the author

Juliana Garcia
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.

Have a story idea or a comment about our coverage you’d like to share? Email me at juliana@johnsoncountypost.com.

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