Rain canceled Kiwanis Club Fourth of July kiddie parade in Park Ridge, but the fun rolled on
Dark storm clouds, rain and a potentially dangerous storm were bearing down.
The parade was to be the 70th annual one, so the sudden shuttering was a bit of a blow to event organizers.
'Well, of course we're disappointed,' said Kris Cichowski, co-president of the club. 'But what's beautiful about Kiwanis is, it never rains on our parade. … That's life, things shift and we all shift.'
In addition to the milestone year for the parade, this year marked the centennial anniversary of the Kiwanis Club in Park Ridge, she said.
The parade is intended to be a celebration of Independence Day and of area children. The kids dress up in costumes and roll through the parade on their bikes, scooters and wagons – all decorated for a march around the City Hall block.
With minutes to go at the time of cancellation, the club had no chance to alert parents who trickled into Hodges Park as the storm clouds gathered above, organizers explained. But even with the threat of rain, family spirit was not dampened.
'It's a pure family-friendly event that brings little children together to celebrate our great country,' Cichowski said.
That spirit wasn't lost.
While there was no official parade, kids lined up and took pictures, and Mayor Marty Maloney made a few remarks. The mayor typically awards ribbons to kids with the most popular costumes but that judging was nixed this year.
The mayor told the assembled children they were all winners this year.
'This is one of the coolest things about being mayor,' Maloney told the children. 'When I was your age, I walked in this parade. That's how long ago this has been going on.'
Jesse Wright is a freelancer.
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