Ready your lawn chairs and patriotic garb; the single-largest annual public gathering in Menomonee Falls is less than one week away.

Organizers expect a crowd of 20,000 to 30,000 at this year’s Independence Day celebration, which kicks off with the parade at 7 p.m. Sunday.

“We’re really looking forward to it,” said Robyn Turtenwald, a member of the village’s Parade Steering Committee. “It’s going to be a great parade.”

This year’s procession will begin at the intersection of Appleton Avenue and Elm Lane and will feature 90 to 100 units — floats, performers and caravans. A special emphasis will be given to honoring the community’s military veterans, she said.

Greg Goss, a member of the Menomonee Falls Optimist Club said an honor guard of World War II veterans will lead the parade, and the 1289 North Shore Marine Detachment will perform a Hiroshima re-enactment.

The parade will last about 90 minutes and be followed by performances at the high school’s football stadium starting at 8:30 p.m. Fireworks will light up the sky around 9:30 p.m., he said.

In addition to the military groups, the parade will feature standard participants such as church groups, schools, community organizations and a number of local celebrities. Special performers will include the West Allis Lancer Band, the Tripoli Shriners Motor Corp., the Janesville Fife and Drum Corps and the Bourbon Street Stompers, Goss said.

The Milwaukee Brewers’ Racing Sausages and an Elvis impersonator will also be present, he added.

In total, the day’s activities will cost about $15,000 to $18,000, Goss said. The village government provided $2,000, the Steering Committee raised $5,500 and the Optimist Club will cover the difference, he said.

Turtenwald said the Steering Committee fundraised with a direct mailing campaign in January. About 90 percent of the donations were made by local businesses, she said.

Goss said supporting the great tradition of the Menomonee Falls Independence Day celebration is something the Optimist Club takes great pride in.

“It’s an opportunity for people to get out, relax and not have to worry about plans,” he said regarding the event’s popularity.

Know rules for reserving a spot

Of course, many of the best seats will be taken well ahead of Sunday evening. On Saturday, the Menomonee Falls Police Department will shut down State Highway 175/Appleton Avenue between Woosencraft Drive and Elm Lane from 7 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., allowing residents to lay claim to public viewing areas along the median.

People will not be allowed on the median before or after the closure, according to a MFPD memo. The area will be opened again at 6 p.m. on Sunday, an hour before the parade, the memo said.

Also, the process of laying claim has been limited to roping/taping off areas. Furniture and tarps are prohibited, the memo said.

These rules were enacted for the first time during last summer’s celebration and were created with everyone’s safety in mind, said Sgt. Gene Neyhart of MFPD. He will be serving as incident commander for the fifth consecutive year.

“We don’t want to prevent people from doing it,” he said in reference to the spot-saving tradition. “But we want it to be done in a safe manner.”

Prior to the 2010 event, residents were allowed to stake out spots along the parade route 48 hours in advance. But the practice created some hazardous situations — people carrying heavy couches across Appleton Avenue during hours of heavy traffic, for instance — so rules were refined, Neyhart said.

To ensure the gathering goes smoothly, about 17 officers, two supervisors, 12 police aides and a number of state patrollers will be on duty, he said. Known as a family event, the parade traditionally spawns very few problems or arrests, Neyhart, but the police are needed to guide traffic and maintain organization.

“We’re just there as a kind of safety net,” he said.