Luca Mendoza’s strategy for getting candy at Carpentersville’s Fourth of July parade might not be what you’d expect given the competition between kids to scoop up tossed sweets.
“Be nice,” the 7-year-old said.
It seemed to work for Luca, who was rewarded with lots of candy as the parade made its way down Main Street.
And he wasn’t the only one having fun at the event, an early start to the holiday celebrations that not only included the annual parade but the Dundee Township Park District’s annual fireworks display at Meadowdale Mall later that same day.
Families lined the streets in the Old Town neighborhoods to watch the 45-minute pageant filled with floats, music and an always-popular attraction, The Jesse White Tumblers.
Melissa Escalante, her 8-year-old son Ezekiel and her mother-in-law, Anne McNally, were among the hundreds of people who gathered to watch the festivities.
“We try to come every year. We have people in the parade from No Manches (Mexican Grill). We come to see them,” Escalante said.
The parade “helps bring the community together,” she said.
Plus, Escalante said, it’s fun to celebrate Independence Day before the actual holiday because it means the family can also attend the Elgin parade Thursday and celebrate all over again.
McNally grew up in Elgin and remembers the Fourth of July as a child.
“When we were little, we always had the parade, the carnival and then the fireworks,” she said. She recalls when there was a carnival at Wing Park, where the city also held its fireworks display.
She wants her grandson to have memories like that, McNally said.
Also having a good time Saturday was 4-year-old Jorge Soto, who was excited to see the parade unfold just a few feet from where he sat with his parents. A DJ playing music nearby also captured his attention and prompted him to show off a few dance moves.
“I dance like Michael Jackson,” the tot said.
If you missed Carpentersville events, Elgin has a full line-up Thursday, starting with a pet parade at 8:30 a.m. at Anne Street and Douglas Avenue and followed by the Elgin Fourth of July Parade is at 9 a.m., stepping off at Slade and Douglas avenues and ending at Highland Avenue.
At 5 p.m. in Festival Park, entertainment will include live music from Second Hand Soul, iPop, and American Vinyl All Star Band, children’s activities, photo ops, food trucks and a pie-eating contest sponsored by Paul’s Family Restaurant.
The fireworks display starts at about 9:20 p.m.
Sleepy Hollow Service Club is also holding a host of holiday related-events Thursday, including a fun run, fishing derby, children’s parade and festival, and a fireworks display on Friday night.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
