Pet Parade thrills thousands in La Grange

The 80th edition of the La Grange Pet Parade went off without a hitch Saturday, May 30, under warm and sunny skies.

A total of 130 entries needed two hours to cover the parade route.

Molly Price, the parade’s executive director, said 3,000 people were in the parade and an estimated 10,000 watched. They had plenty to enjoy.

The Jesse White Tumblers thrilled folks with their gravity-defying leaps, landing on thin padded cushions laid over the pavement.

Several rock bands played music from floats. Marching bands from various schools did what they do best.

There were Shriners driving their little cars, the Shannon Rovers brought bagpipes and drums and plenty of local politicians were seen. Tommy Hawk and Skates, mascots of the Blackhawks and Wolves, were there, and lots of candy was tossed to children.

And, of course, there were the stars of the show: the pets, many of which wore festive costumes.

Here are some of the stories found along the way:

First visit leads to an encore

Making just her second visit to the Pet Parade in La Grange on Saturday, Mary Reyes, 66, brought along her pet dog to enjoy the festivities.

“I love parades and I love pets,” Reyes, of Willow Springs, said.

“She’s a mixed breed. Heinz 57 they used to call it,” Reyes said of her dog named Lola. “Her mother was a terrier and her father was a handsome stranger.”

Lola, by the way, is named for “the Kinks song, not the Barry Manilow song,” Reyes said.

A bear can be a pet

This year’s honorary grand marshal was Dan Hampton, a key member of the 1985 Super Bowl champion Bears and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“It’s a Pet Parade and I was a Bear for a long time. So, in an abstract way, I qualify,” he said, adding that “La Grange is a beautiful town.”

He and wife Gina were making their first visit to the parade.

“Our very first one and it’s a special one. It was great already. We met the gentleman (Bob Breen) whose father (Ed Breen) started it in 1947,” Hampton said on Cossitt Avenue before the parade began.

He was busy posing for plenty of selfies for people before the parade.

Hampton and Gina have four cats at home. He said they briefly considered bringing them along.

“But we said, no, we’ll have our hands full anyway,” Hampton said.

After the parade, Hampton signed autographs at DeSitter Flooring.

History and a way to visit with friends

Two mayors – Jim Discipio of La Grange Park and Mark Kuchler of La Grange – both rode in convertibles, waving at the thousands who lined the route.

“It’s history. I remember coming here when I was a kid with a couple kids from our farm. It’s an honor to be here,” Discipio, 71, said.

There’s no truth to the rumor that he was trying to drum up business by tossing out candy. Discipio is a dentist in Berwyn.

Kuchler called the parade “really the highlight of the year for the village.”

“Great way to start the summer. It brings people who grew up here back to the village and it’s a great way to hang out with your neighbors,” Kuchler said.

He wasn’t kidding.

Numerous homes along La Grange Road hosted large parties in their front yards before, during and after the parade.

Arrive early for good seats

John Rurka, 60, of La Grange Park, and Natalie La Porte, 40, of La Grange, arrived at 8:30 a.m., one hour before the parade began.

That allowed them to snare a table outside Mak’s House, a restaurant on La Grange Road.

Doing so guaranteed comfortable seats in the shade where they sipped Bloody Marys watching the parade march past.

“We’ve been sipping. We don’t want to overdo it,” La Porte said as the Lyons Township High School marching band passed them playing the school song.

“It’s a great establishment, great food, great Bloody Marys,” she said of Mak’s House.

Lots of candy and a toothbrush

Three-year-old Evelyn Dimer sat with her mother Andrea Dimer, 35, at the southwest corner of Burlington Avenue and La Grange Road.

“We live in Brookfield. This is our third year. We started coming when we had her. She’s a huge dog lover. We’ve been talking about it all week,” Andrea said.

“I love the big dogs and small dogs,” said Evelyn, whose sundress was covered with images of dogs.

But what really had her excited was getting all the candy.

Andrea isn’t worried about her daughter eating too much candy, adding “we got a toothbrush. Somebody was handing out toothbrushes.”

Hydrate on a warm day

Standing with friends along Burlington Avenue as he sipped a High Noon vodka seltzer, Mike Shepard, 50, of La Grange, quipped “I hydrate because it’s warm out.”

“I come here every year. It’s a great event, a neighborhood event. We bring out our pet dog and we’re engaging in friendly conversation,” Shepard said.

The Pet Parade is “the first big nice event in our town each summer,” he said.

He was pleased to see Hampton in the parade, saying: “He looked surprisingly healthy for being an old, beat-up football player.”

Elevated level of excitement

Molly Price, of La Grange, who was the executive parade director for the eighth and final time, said she thought “it was the biggest one that I have put on.”

“It was the longest one and it had the most excitement with two sports stars and the debut of our mascot Granger,” Price said.

Joining Hampton as a local sports star in the parade was Kendall Coyne Schofield, a member of this year’s gold medal–winning U.S. women’s hockey team at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Price noted the Pet Parade Carnival held on downtown streets was also well-attended each day and night.

“There was an elevated level of excitement. Maybe it was the weather,” she said.

Asked how she spent her Sunday after the parade, Price joked, “I tried to be as lazy as possible.”

The Pet Parade is always held on the first Saturday after Memorial Day. The 81st edition will be held on June 5, 2027.