June 17, 2025
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Kankakee Juneteenth Parade, Hobbie Avenue reopening set

By Lee Provost
Hobbie Avenue nears completion in front of Pioneer Park in Kankakee. The long-awaited reopening of the road will occur following the Juneteenth Parade on Saturday, June 21, 2025.

Hobbie Avenue nears completion in front of Pioneer Park in Kankakee. The long-awaited reopening of the road will occur following the Juneteenth Parade on Saturday, June 21, 2025. (Tiffany Blanchette)

KANKAKEE – The annual Kankakee Juneteenth Parade is set to begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, and participants will be the first to experience the newly improved Hobbie Avenue.

The parade, estimated to have a duration of about 40 minutes, will travel along East Oak Street and then meet at Hobbie Avenue and proceed to Pioneer Park.

Activities in the park will include various vendors, sports tournaments and a fireworks display at nightfall, sponsored by the city of Kankakee.

Red and green fireworks light up the sky at the conclusion of the 2024 Juneteenth Freedom Festival at Pioneer Park in Kankakee.

Red and green fireworks light up the sky at the conclusion of the 2024 Juneteenth Freedom Festival at Pioneer Park in Kankakee. (Daily Journal/Tiffany Blanchette)

The conclusion of the parade also marks a key development in east Kankakee.

When the parade concludes, the much-anticipated reopening of Hobbie Avenue will take place.

Hobbie Avenue has been closed for a nearly $10 million rebuild. The road has been closed to the motoring public since October 2023 as utilities were being upgraded while the road was rebuilt from its foundation.

The striping of the road was completed this past week. There are still some landscaping details to be finished, but those can take place despite traffic being allowed to use this key north-south corridor.

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Hobbie Avenue nears completion in Kankakee on Monday. The long-awaited reopening of the road will occur following the Juneteenth Parade on Saturday, June 21, 2025.

Hobbie Avenue nears completion in Kankakee on Monday. The long-awaited reopening of the road will occur following the Juneteenth Parade on Saturday, June 21, 2025. (Tiffany Blanchette)