About 150 people of all ages marched under a cloudless sky on Labor Day for the 58th annual Wellington Oakdale Old Glory Marching Society parade.
Many children rode the parade route, which started at the intersection of Wellington and Pine Grove avenues and ended on a shady lawn at Amita Health St. Joseph Hospital, on scooters and bikes, while parents pushed strollers and snapped pictures. Hand-held American flags dotted the crowd and fluttered in the slight breeze.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve marched in person,” Michael Lufrano, who helps organize the parade and is a lifelong participant, said. “(The parade has) been about our neighbors, it’s been about coming together on Labor Day and Memorial Day to celebrate our country, to celebrate our community.”
Al Weisman started the twice-annual parade, which kicks off summer on Memorial Day and bids it farewell Labor Day, in 1963 with the motto “everybody marches, nobody watches” as a way to encourage kids to participate, his son Tony Weisman said.
“This is as big a crowd I have ever seen for the parade,” Weisman said.
A drum line tapped out rhythmic tunes to amplify the upbeat atmosphere. A group of acrobatic tumblers gracefully soared through the air, pulling off impressive flips and stunts along the sidewalk near St. Joseph to entertain the crowd. Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White organized both groups.
“It’s just a really wonderful community event to bring people together and to support the Jesse White Tumblers,” Nancy Zinder, a Lakeview resident who helped organize the parade, said.
The Jesse White Tumblers have performed at every parade, Weisman said. Started in 1959, the tumblers were created to provide a positive alternative for inner-city kids, according to a team brochure. Team members must stay away from drugs, alcohol and gangs, and maintain a minimum of a C average in school to participate. There are almost 150 members across seven units in total. Nine performed at the parade.
“This is a wonderful day where we honor, show respect to those who make up our workforce,” White said.
U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley, a Chicago Democrat, has been coming to the parade for about 40 years. He has only missed it once during that period, he told the Tribune.
“The Indy 500 was delayed, and my dad was taking us, so it was on a Monday instead of a Sunday, so we went to that instead,” Quigley said in reference to the time he did not attend.
Quigley marched around the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., last year as consolation since the parade did not happen because of the pandemic, he said.
“I missed this,” he said. “It’s the tradition. It’s a patriotic, fun gathering, people walking with their kids and their dogs. It’s fun. … It’s just great to be here and see my old friends.”