This year will mark the 111th edition of Lake Forest Day, sponsored by the American Legion Post #264.  Lake Forest American Legion Post 264 salutes "The Lake Forest American Legion, serving the community & veterans for the past 100 years".  Lake Forest Day is the largest annual celebration in the City and is attended by thousands of residents and visitors from surrounding communities.  We welcome your participation.  Why not contact a neighbor and enter a block or neighborhood float; or enter yourself and/or your family in costume?  Enter a commercial float representing your business, church, school, or enter on behalf of your civic organization.

 

Awards will be given in the following categories: Children, Church/Schools, Civic/Fraternal, Commercial, Youth, Neighborhood/Individual along with Most Original, and the prized "Commander's Trophy". We will post the winners after 3:00 PM the day of the parade on this web site.

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Your cooperation makes this a special community event. Remember the spirit of the event and enjoy yourself.

 

 

 

 

 

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Thank you for your cooperation.

 

Vinnie Dolan

Lake Forest Day Parade Chairman 

 

 

PARADE RULES:



Please you must read the Parade Rules carefully before submitting an Application to the Parade:

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1. All participants should decorate their float, car, etc. in the theme of the parade or in a patriotic theme.

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2. Participants in the parade must keep moving so there will be no gaps. There is no stopping allowed unless the entry directly ahead of you has done so. If a gap occurs in front of you please move forward to close the gap.

 

3. Do not throw anything such as candy, favors or any other article from your float, car, etc. due to the danger that a child may run into the street and be injured.  If you wish to pass things out, have someone walk along the parade route on each side of the float or group to hand out the articles.  Anyone violating this policy will be pulled out of the parade.

 

4. Alcoholic beverages are strictly prohibited.

 

5. Only APPLICATIONS received by Friday July 26th will be accepted and eligible for awards.  Parade staging information will be available on Monday August 5th after 3:00 P.M. by email and on this website: http://www.lakeforestday.com/parade-map.

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6. You MUST include your TV announcer narrative with your application. Otherwise the TV announcer will skip your entry.

 

7. You MUST print your own Parade_Order_Number and attach it to the inside of your passenger side window BEFORE arriving at the parade staging area.  If you have people dropping off participants or supplies, please forward them the Parade Order Email and links to print your parade number and have them print your Parade_Order_Number and DISPLAY on the outside passenger side window, under the winshield wipers.  This will help the volunteers direct everyone to the right place without stopping them and asking them were they are going. More information can be found at the Map & Parade order tab of our website, or http://www.lakeforestday.com/parade-map. Thank you for your cooperation.

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8. After entering the staging area with your Parade_Order_Number on the inside passenger window, please stop at your group of ten, that is the highest number of your group of ten.  Example your number is 92, stop at 99. In the ninties (90-99) stop at 99; in the eighties (80-89) stop at 89; in the seventies (70-79), stop at 79; in the sixties (60-69), stop at 69;  in the fifties (50-59) stop at 59; in the forties (40-49) stop at 49; in the thirties (30-39) stop at 39; in the twenties (20-29) stop at 29; in the teens (10-19) stop at 19; and 1-9, please stop at 9.  One of the parade volunteers will walk with you to your spot. This helps us deal with any issues of float length, music or someone in the wrong spot.

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9. PLEASE NOTE: We have one hour to stack close to 100 or more floats. If you follow this simple procedure of displaying your Parade_Order_Number either on the inside or outside of your passenger number before you enter Western Avenue, and stopping at the correct Cone #, it will allow us to safely order you in the parade.

 

Thank you for your cooperation.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

 

Q: How much is the entry fee?
A: There is no entry fee.

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Q: What if I am dropping off a parade participant?

A: First, please print out the Parade-Order-Number for your float, and put it on the outside passenger window (under you windshield wiper should work).  This denotes that you as dropping off a passenger.

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Q: If I am dropping off a parade participant where should I park my car so that I could pick them up at the end of the parade?

A: First, please print out the Parade-Order Number for your float, and put it on the outside passenger window (under you windshield wiper should work).  This denotes that you as dropping off a passenger. Please park your car at West Park on Green Bay Road and Woodlands Road after your drop off your parade participant.

 

Q: Where will my group line up?
A: We try and place young children and our older participants towards the front of the parade. To get your exact location go to this website: http://www.lakeforestday.com/parade-map and click on the tab <Map and Parade Order> on Monday July 31st after 3pm.

 

Q: Can I have music on my float?

A: Yes, we encourage participants to have music.  Please indicate that you will have music on the parade application by selecting YES in the box next to music.  It is important to do this, to make sure two floats with music are not next to each other.

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Q: Did you receive my application?

A: If you received an email saying we received your application, then we received your application. Before you call or email us, please click on this link <Processed> Tab, and check to see if your application is there. The instructions will tell you how to expand the Group or Company Name and scroll through all of the received applications.  The table is in reverse order of entry, that is the last application is on top.  You might have to scroll thru a few pages to get to the date of your application.  We encourage you to scroll thru the entire list before contacting us.  Thank you. 

 

Assembly Area:

 

All vehicles that are in the parade must enter Western Ave at Westleigh Rd from the South and proceed North to your assigned area. The parade will form at 8:45 A.M.  SEE MAP. Please arrive at the staging are before 9:45 A.M. Any entry arriving after 9:45 A.M. will be positioned at the rear of the parade.

 

There will be an official wearing a traffic vest located in your assigned area. Traffic on this section of Western Avenue will be halted for approximately three hours to permit safe parade assembly and execution.

Special notice to all parade entrants/participants: During previous years some parade entrants and/or float vehicles have arrived prior to the designated assembly time - some over two hours before start of the parade. Due to the narrow confines of Western Avenue in the assembly area between Vine Ave and Ryan Place, we cannot accommodate or position any early arrivals. Two-way traffic through the assembly area cannot be halted until 8:30 A.M.   All early parade arrivals will be sent away from the assembly area and told to return via Westleigh Road as specified above. Please ensure that your parade personnel/drivers do not arrive before 8:30A.M.   We need 100% cooperation in this vital area - it is a matter of public safety. 

 

Parade Route:

 

The parade will begin at 10 am at the intersection of Vine Ave/Western Avenue and proceed north on Western Ave to Westminster, (crossing Illinois Road and Deerpath), then turn left (west) on Westminster past Bank Lane, Forest Ave and Oakwood Ave to Summit Ave; then turn right (north) on Summit Ave to the end of the parade on the side of West Park near the Summit Ave/Summit Place intersection.

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If you have any questions or if we can be of assistance, please call Vinnie Dolan at 847-638-2605. If you don't hear back in 48 hours, use this form to send your questions:

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