The holiday spirit was alive and well in downtown Naperville on Sunday evening as thousands of parade watchers lined the streets for the Little Friends Parade of Lights.
About 60 floats participated in the event that culminated with the appearance of Santa and Mrs. Claus, who were met with cheers, leaps and gasps from the children along the route.
Little Friends client Mike and Naperville police officer Roger Otto served as grand marshals of the parade. Choosing the pair as grand marshals was an easy decision for Little Friends. During the last year, the two have formed a special friendship.
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“The bond that formed between Mike and officer Otto was a good example of everything that is good about Naperville,” Little Friends CEO and President Kristi Landorf said. “Mike is an example of what we want for all of our clients to be integrated into the community.”
Otto said Mike makes it easy to be friends.
“Mike is my buddy,” Ott said. “It is easy to be his friend. Mike is a great guy.”
The parade started several years ago, back in the day when Christmas started after Thanksgiving, Landorf joked. In the early years, the parade started small and took place early on Sunday mornings.
Every year since, it has grown into a little bit more, she added, reinforcing that the parade is all about community.
“It is a chance for us to say thank you to the community and happy holidays,” Landorf said.
For Naperville resident Patti Stemper and her son, 8-year-old Christian, the parade is an annual holiday tradition. Without her two older sons, ages 25 and 27, this year, Stemper said her family still has their parade “routine,” which includes enjoying hot chocolate while watching the parade.
The parade began east along Jackson Avenue, turning north on Main Street, west on Van Buren and concluding along Eagle Street. Before the start of the parade, area high school students and groups from the School of Performing Arts performed at the parade’s main stage. After riding in the parade, Santa and Mrs. Claus took to the stage to visit with children.
The event, sponsored by McKeown Classic Homes, featured many local organizations and businesses. Marchers donned battery-powered holiday lights and tossed out candy canes to parade watchers.
About 15 members of Naperville resident Reilly Fitzgerald’s family, including grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, came to watch the 8-year-old march in the parade as part of Kingsley Elementary’s Brownie troop. Her grandmother, Naperville resident Nancy Gobernatz, said the family event is a great way to celebrate the start of the holidays.
Before the parade began, Naperville resident Erin O’Donnell first stopped at Eddie Bauer to purchase a pair of socks. As the temperature dropped from earlier in the day, O’Donnell said her real motive was the large bag the retailer provided with her purchase — so she would have something to sit on as she enjoyed the parade.
After attending the parade last year, O’Donnell said as soon as she knew the date for this year’s event, she marked it on her calendar.
“It’s the coolest way to celebrate the holidays,” she added.