Friday, June 25, 2010

Countdown is on to The City of Elgin's 2010 Fourth of July Parade


The City of Elgin’s 2010 Fourth of July Parade – Presented by Sherman Health steps off on Saturday, July 3 at 10am.

Over 15,000 spectators annually attend this Elgin summertime tradition, making it one of the area’s largest Fourth of July parades. This year’s parade features over 100 parade units and nearly 2,000 participants. The parade route begins at Slade and Douglas Avenues, travels south on Douglas and ends at Highland and Douglas Avenues.

The theme of this year’s Fourth of July Parade is “Summer in the City!” – a celebration of the City of Elgin’s rich history, exciting present, and prosperous future. In addition to the regular parade float judging, a special "175th Anniversary Award" will be given to the float that best tells the story of Elgin’s rich history and a special "Eco-Elgin Award" will be given to the float that best tells the story of a "Green" Elgin - utilizing eco-friendly materials and processes for their parade entry.

Shabbona District, Three Fires Council of the Boy Scouts of America, who are celebrating 100 years of Scouting in 2010, will be this year’s Parade Grand Marshals. In Elgin, the Boy Scouts of America are represented by Shabbona District, Three Fires Council, which serves some 2,900 youth across 55 units, relying on more than 800 dedicated adult volunteers to advance its mission.

Roland Behling, an Eagle Scout with 75 years of participation and leadership service to Scouting, and Dick Barth, with 55 years of leadership service to the program, will both serve as honorary Grand Marshals riding in Elgin resident Richard Bennett’s powder blue 1957 Cadillac convertible representing the Boy Scouts and their promotion of life-long skills and positive role modeling.

Parade-goers and participants are encouraged to bring canned goods and non-perishable food items with them to the parade. Along the parade route the Boy Scouts will be collecting the food, which will then be donated to the Salvation Army in Downtown Elgin

The Parade Committee is still seeking volunteers for this year’s parade. The time commitment is approximately 7am to 1pm, depending on what duty you are assigned. Volunteers are treated to a free breakfast at orientation before the parade and a free t-shirt. Please contact the DNA Office at (847) 488-1456 or e-mail downtownelgin@gmail.com to sign up.

The DNA would like to thank our valued parade sponsors Sherman Health, Provena St. Joseph's Hospital, Woody Buick, Redmon's Towing, Elgin Community College, Davey Tree Experts, Insure One, VNA of Fox Valley and Elgin Public House.

A special thank you to all of the members of the Fourth of July Parade Committee, chaired by Jeff Allison, and all of our volunteers who will be giving so generously of their time over the holiday weekend. This parade would not be possible without all of your hard work!

It's "Summer in the City" - come out and celebrate!

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