LG PET PARADE A LONGTIME TRADITION

The La Grange Pet Parade, the village's traditional summertime kickoff featuring a plethora of colorful floats, marching bands, pets and their owners marching up South La Grange Road in the waning days before school lets out, traces its roots much further back than its 63-year history.

Long before the term La Grange Road even existed -- the state route here was formerly dubbed Fifth Avenue, a moniker borrowed by early pioneers from the famous bustling strip in New York City -- the parade had its infancy as a yearly ritual on the town's East Side, bringing together children, their pets, instruments, bicycles and, as old-timers used to recall, a few pots and pans to stir up extra noise.

Although some contemporary parade organizers have taken issue in the past with the origins of the idea, pioneers of La Grange's historic African-American/Italian neighborhood that runs from the Ogden Avenue bridge south to 47th Street east of Bluff Avenue and west of East Avenue, passed on the story to the modern generation of their remembrances of a children's parade "headed by a platoon of decorated bicycles" in the early 1940s organized by Hayes Avenue resident Minnie Carr.

Carr, it seems, organized the early parades, perhaps as far back as 1940, asking the Boy Scouts, Brownies and neighborhood children to participate as entries and to assist in crafting floats, according to the 1999 Arcadia book, "Images of America: La Grange and La Grange Park, Illinois" by local authors RoseAnna and Robert Mueller.
(It should be noted that Carr's last name was listed as Carter in the aforementioned book, but modern-day historians provided us with the accurate spelling.)
Having moved to La Grange when racial diversity and acceptance still was not something embraced by many, longtime neighborhood activist Joyce Lightner, has long served as one of the area's historians and lately, on a separate track with Davis Memorial A.M.E. Pastor Debra E. Williams, has been championing preservation of that history through conversations with Bob Breen, son of the downtown parade's founder. Although Lightner also has been vocal on the matter, the Rev. Williams has gotten assistance from two other women affiliated with the church.
In fact, while she admits there is still no recognition of the true parade roots in the modern-day event, she and others plan on chronicling that past in a tribute to Carr during the next African-American History Month in February 2010. The Rev. Williams represented the memory of Carr during a grand marshal tribute to a few pioneer women of La Grange in last year's parade.
Linda Eastman, a resident since 1968, recalled the story passed on to her generation of East Siders from earlier pioneers.
"It was really a neighborhood activity to entertain the kids and to keep them from getting into trouble," she said.

Parents at the time marched alongside the children down East Calendar to Tilden and Franklin Avenues, down Bluff to Harris Avenue and onto La Grange Road.

Realizing the potential to promote the village through the parade, downtown dry cleaner magnate and Chamber of Commerce leader Edward Breen Jr. then decided to recruit more schools and businesses to take part in a parade that began in 1946 and was responsible for coming up the name of the La Grange Pet Parade a year later.

The parade, which today is organized by a committee of locals affiliated with Pets & Pals Charities, features countless floats awarded prizes for originality and creativity by a group of ever-changing critics, Hollywood look-alikes, the Medinah Black Horse Troop and requisite
Shriners on everything from miniature motorcycles and airplanes to Arabian "flying" carpets and makeshift camels.


Children should be especially pleased this year because the Brookfield Zoo -- which used to bring Clydesdales and other animals -- will be showing up with a 7-foot Yangchuanosaurus from its new "Dinosaurs Alive" exhibit.


The zoo also will provide a tram to escort the 18 "couples" of kings and queens selected from each fifth-grade class in schools throughout La Grange.


The East Side neighborhood is not specifically participating this year, but the area's CommUNITY Diversity Group headed by LaVelle Topps has one of 45 colorful art easels on display throughout downtown this summer.

Part of the La Grange Business Association's seasonal promotion, the painting, titled The Big Picture, depicts a diverse group of people sitting in front of Village Hall and happens to be located directly in front of Village Hall.

The outdoor art fair of local artist's renditions of famous paintings with a La Grange twist continues until September when the "masterpieces" will be auctioned off for charity just like last year's popular "Lounging in La Grange" promotion featuring colorful themed Adirondack chairs.
Not to be forgotten are annual parade staple, the Lawn Rangers, a colorful brotherhood of dads donning t-shirts and boxers, pushing engine-less lawnmowers down the parade route and occasionally unfolding their lawn chairs in tow for a quick breather in the middle of the street.
Some members of the Rangers performed in Washington, D.C. for President Barack Obama's inaugural parade last January.

The grand marshal this year is the LGBA.

Unlike in year's past when WGN Channel 9 used to broadcast the 90-minute parade live, the parade, emceed by downtown property owner Jerry Burjan, now appears on a local Comcast station and will be re-aired frequently in the coming weeks. Jerry is perhaps best known locally for the redesign of the historic former bank building at Burlington Avenue and La Grange Road that now houses Noodles & Company and Chipotle.

The parade participants who make original floats -- Indian Guides and Princesses and local organizations such as CEP, the YMCA and Aging Care Connections (formerly the Southwest Suburban Center on Aging) -- typically start planning days in advance.

And, all the way up until the parade kicks off at La Grange Road and Cossitt Avenue, entrants are still showing up to claim their designated spot on every side street from 47th to Cossitt in what many do not realize is a highly orchestrated and neatly organized event.

Thousands of spectators come out annually to line the streets of the parade route, from Cossitt north to Burlington Avenue and west to Brainard Avenue before splitting up at the LT North Campus for awards and free hot dogs and soda.

The rest of the crowd either sticks around to entertain themselves at the many downtown shops and restaurants or spends part of the weekend at the carnival that runs all day Saturday and Sunday.

This year, Radio Disney also will perform in the afternoon and will offer an interactive play area with holograms, laptop computers and a Wii-type system with activities such as Jump Rope and Photo Booth.

Just like the parade, the carnival is also a well-oiled operation, coming to town as early as Wednesday to wait it out in the old YMCA parking lots until the midway is set up virtually overnight between Thursday and Friday.

Those hanging out after the parade who want to stay outdoors can either grab lunch al-fresco at one of the area's many outdoor patios or head over to the carnival for a huge beer tent and food court.

Looking for a bite to eat? Try the outdoor beer garden or indoor dining/TV rooms at locally owned family restaurant Palmer Place or a quick sandwich at Michael LaPidus' Roly Poly next to the newly revamped La Grange Theatre. If Italian is your bag, try Antonino's on West Hillgrove, Lucca on Burlington, Marconi's or Aurelio's on Calendar or the new Francesca's on La Grange.

Look around and you will find Asian, Mexican and good old American bakery, candy, pancakes or specialty coffee.

Shoppers can visit flower and beauty shops, clothing and shoe stores, a fantastic lighting and hardware store in Horton's Home Furnishings or, for the young at heart, Hot Rags and the La Grange Hobby Shop.