Politics & Government

70 Units Raring To March At Niles Fourth of July Parade

Lots of favorites will return, though village budget cuts mean not as many marching bands.

The Corvette Club, the Shriners on flying carpets, the German oompah band, antique cars, six marching bands, the Jesse White Tumblers, a camel and llama, Uncle Sam on stilts and many other staples of the Niles Fourth of July parade will return this year.

The traditional post-parade festival, with free hot dogs, pop, music and games, will be put on by the Niles Park District at Grennan Heights Park, even though the field house is under construction and off limits.

The parade, which kicks off at 9 a.m. at Notre Dame College Prep, will have 70 units, less than last year's 90.

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"It'll be a very nice parade, just a little bit shorter than last year," said Kim Trausch, administrative assistant for the village's Public Services department.

Due to budget cuts, the village is not spending as much on marching bands this year, she said, so she had to tell some marching bands they wouldn't receive the usual stipend.

Find out what's happening in Niles-Morton Grovewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"A few said, 'we'll still be involved.' It's just as much a tradition for the people in the parade," she explained.

Some people go to lengths to keep up the tradition.

Trausch got a call from a man in Huntley asking what time the parade started. He and his wife, who were high school sweethearts, met in Niles and drive in from Huntley every year to sit in the same spot and watch the festivities.

"He said, 'It wouldn't be the same without the Niles Fourth of July parade,'" she recalled.


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