America’s original Pet Parade will be held again in downtown La Grange on Saturday, May 30.
The 80th edition of the parade kicks off at 9:30 a.m. at the intersection of Cossitt Avenue and La Grange Road.
The parade heads north on La Grange Road, west on Burlington Avenue just before the railroad tracks, then south on Brainard Avenue before turning west on Cossitt, ending at the north campus of Lyons Township High School.
This year’s theme is “Marching Through the Decades.” Participants – along with parade goers – are invited to wear clothing from the 1950s through the 2020s.
Every year, the parade has its special guests, and this year is no exception.
Dan Hampton, a Pro Football Hall of Fame member and a key player for the 1985 Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears, is the honorary grand marshal.
The grand marshal of the parade will be Granger, the new La Grange Pet Parade mascot.
Granger was developed as a way to bring to life the iconic dog from the Pet Parade logo.
Pet Parade organizers worked with Chicago Mascots, which has worked with pro and college teams in the Chicago area, to create Granger, whose name refers to the village.
This year’s junior grand marshal is Alexander Noland, a third-grader at Cossitt Elementary School who won the annual Pet Parade Coloring Contest.
Returning this year is the costume contest in three categories: individual youth, individual adult, and group/family.
The parade has more than 125 entries this year, including floats, pets in costume, school groups, nonprofits and more.
If you can’t attend, it will be livestreamed by Lyons Township High School on LTTV Online on YouTube.
The Pet Parade dates back to 1947 when the La Grange Chamber of Commerce staged the first one.
Regina McClinton will receive the Minnie Carr Service Award this year for her many contributions to the community.