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Please read these PARADE RULES. Frequently Asked Questions click here <FAQ>



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

Bands and Drill Teams must submit a Parade Application and send us a completed and signed W9.

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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. Extra Buses, Trucks and Trailers that are not part of a Float, will not be staged in the parade, but after dropping off your participants, they should proceed to West Park, Green Bay and Summit Place, where they will be parked in an easy out parking space.

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3. Make sure your car or truck has a Full Tank of Gas and is in Good Mechanical Condition.

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4. 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.

5. 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.

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6. Alcoholic beverages are strictly prohibited.

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7. Only APPLICATIONS received by July 24th will be accepted and eligible for awards and receive a Parade Order Number. Entries after that date will be positioned at the end of the Parade if available. Check your email.  Parade staging information, (Parade Order Number),  will be available on/or before Monday August 5th after 3:00 P.M. and sent via email and on this website using this tab <Map and Parade Order>.

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

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9. 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. 

10.  For the safety of all Parade Participants, especially children, we encourage Parade Entries to gather their participants, especially children, on their floats before entering the Western Ave. staging area.

11. It is the responsibility of the Parade Float owner/manager to forward directions to all of their participants on where to meet and where to park and especially share the "Parade Order Number" so everyone knows where your float is located.* On Parade Day, Free Parking is available at all the downtown city lots.

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NEW RULES Dropping off children: In the event that parents need to drop off their children, parents MUST park and walk their child/children to their parade float as designated by their Parade Order Number. 

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Parade Oder Numbers 01 - 45: Parking is designated to lots at Gorton Center (400 E. Illinois) and the lot West across Gorton  on McKinley Road, known as “North Shore” lot. These lots tend to fill up, so plan accordingly. Enter and exit via Deerpath Rd., and walk children from Illinois Rd. to the Float Parade Order Number. Lastly, Illinois and Deerpath Rd's will be open until 9:30AM, then those roads will be closed to traffic

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Parade Order Numbers 45 +:   Temporary Parking is available in the Lake Forest Country Day School parking lot on Onwentsia Rd., entering and exiting (East) from Green Bay Rd., then walking your children to their Parade Float Entry Number. 

*Parade Float Entry Numbers are listed on the LakeForestDay.com, under the Map & Parade Order tab. 

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Picking up children:  If your float is dropping off children at the end of the parade route, an adult from the organization must accompany all the children to the area in front of the Parade Headquarters located in West Park, just Southeast of the Tennis courts (see Parade Map), and the adult must wait for all the children to be picked up by their parents or guardians. 

Given the congestion at the end of the parade, the best place to park would be the QUARTA City Lot located 771 N. Oakwood Ave. between Westminster and Wisconsin Ave, a short walk to the Parade Headquarters.

If you park your car before the Parade and want to stay for the Carnival, you can also park in West Park where the Carnival is being held. More information can be found using this tab <Map and Parade Order>, or http://www.lakeforestday.com/parade-map. Thank you for your cooperation.

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12. How important is the length of our float? In order to have enough room for your float, it is important that we have an accurate measurement of how long your float is.  A description of your float also helps us gauge its length.

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13. 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 side window before you enter Western Avenue, and stopping at the correct Cone Number, it will allow us to safely order you in the parade.

14. 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 nineties (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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Thank you for your cooperation.   On your mobile phone, click on your decade + sign and it will tell you where to STOP.

Contact Us Form: Use this form only to ask a question if you have read the "Parade Rules" above and the "Frequently asked Questions" and have not found your answer. Please read them before submitting an application. Thank you for your cooperation.     Note:  * is a required field.