Here is WMAQ Channel 5's look at Chicagoland area Fourth of July celebrations marking America's Bicentennial, aired under the umbrella of Best of the 4th on 5. The host, already making his mark on the station (and on pop culture), is Ron Hunter, with a starstudded lineup.

Includes:

Tail end of Haeger ad "SALE ENDS JULY 11, 1976."

Station ID with Jane Pauley wishing happy 200th

Show opening, with specific locations shown for each of the cast of characters

Sponsor billboard for Standard Oil of Indiana (voiceover by Ed Grennan)

Ron introduces program and signals for commercial break

Commercial: Standard Oil (on countryside)

Jorie Lueloff at preIndependence Day picnic held at Lyons Park in Mount Prospect (sponsored by Trinity United Methodist Church); starts off with oldfashioned kitchen band playing patriotic songs on various instruments made from household items; she interviews its leader, Coreen Clarke (sp?), about the significance of this day; other events such as an early American costume contest, gunny sack race and baking contest are shown

Commercial: Standard Oil (spotlighting Chicago area)

Jane Pauley at Bicentennial Trade Exposition at Navy Pier, where six fan dancers from South Korea are performing; also shown is a waterskiing competition at Lake Michigan featuring a 3tiered pyramid with American flags

In Itasca, Bob Hale interviews Rev. Max Kemling of Bethany United Methodist Church and Rev. Robert Lesher (sp?) of St. Matthew Lutheran Church, followed by Father Bill White of St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church and Rev. Bruce Jensen of First Presbyterian Church, and Rev. Abel Treaton (sp?) of Evangelical Free Church and Pastor Lyle Bother (?) of St. Luke Lutheran Church

Commercial: Standard Oil (industry in action)

Shelley Long (yes, THAT Shelley Long) covers a special parade in La Porte, IN, provided by Jaycees; the Grand Marshal is "Mr. Cub," Ernie Banks, who says a few words; various patriotic floats are shown

Commercial: Standard Oil (first ad repeated)

Greg Gumbel (surname misspelled "Gumble" in open), in Old Town, at only children's celebration, holding a boa constrictor from South America and inviting kids to pet it; also on grounds are Harry the HornBilled Bird (a rhinoceros horn bill from India who likes green grapes) and a possum from North America; and French aerialist Maryse Begary performing 26 loops on a flagpole

Commercial: Standard Oil (second ad repeated)

Ron makes closing comments, followed by Standard sponsor billboard (voiceover by Ed Grennan) and ending comments from Jorie, Bob, Shelley, Jane and Greg

Ending credits:

Produced by Karen Lee Copeland
Directed by Roger Lee Miller
Remote Directors Sandy Whiteley, Karen Prindle, Alan Kartun
Technical Directors Fred Scheunemann, Bob Rahnert, Jim Coglianese, Ken Harvey
Video El Owens, John Wayne, Rick Hessel
Lighting Director Curt Mitchell
Audio Hedy Zussman, Harry Dinaso, Rick Cortwright, Scotty McLeod, John Scott
Camera Charles Walker, Bob Correll, Sandy Bonnell, Gene Cartwright, Jim Stricklin
Video Tape Editor Debbie Segal
Chyron Israel Briseno, Jerry Ryberg
Audio Assistants Don Notz, Linda Todhunter
Maintenance Audie Malatia
Video Tape Hank Ichida, La Rhue Williams
Utility Frank Kolar, Warren Teuber
Associate Producer Britta Fayette
Associate Directors Roger Adams, Preston Yarber
Production Asssistants Joyce Rubin, Kathy Giangreco, Patti Sansone
Stagehands Frank Carsen, Bob Collins, Ed Collins, Jim Collins, Ron Heinrich, Marty Laughlin, Claude Lynch
Scenic Designer Jack Hakman, Pat Dunbar
Makeup Liz Baron
Executive Producer John Petrie
Portions Prerecorded

Commercials for:

Stroh's Beer

Dodge Colt

Station ID / promo for upcoming Kup's Pump Room show, followed by Art Institute president Larry Chalmers wishing happy 200th

(Followed directly by the NBC Sunday News with John Hart, posted separately here    • WMAQ Channel 5  NBC Sunday News with...  )

This aired on local Chicago TV on Sunday, July 4th 1976 during the 5:00pm to 5:30pm timeframe.

About The Museum of Classic Chicago Television:

The MCCTv (FuzzyMemoriesTV) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose primary mission is the preservation and display of offair, early home videotape recordings (70s to early 80s, mostly) recorded off of TV (in Chicago or other cities now too); things which would likely be lost if not sought out and preserved digitally. If you have any old 1970s videotapes recorded off of TV please email: [email protected] Even though (mostly) short clips are displayed here, we preserve the entire broadcasts in our archives the complete programs with breaks (or however much is present on the tape), for historical preservation. For information on how to help in our mission, to donate or lend tapes to be converted to DVD, please email [email protected] Thank you for your help!