Plainfield celebrates the 70th year anniversary of the Plainfield Homecoming Parade on Saturday, Oct. 8, from 9 to 10 a.m. The parade will include floats following the 2022 theme “Movie Adventures.”
This year the Plainfield South Cougar Boosters are sponsoring the float “Spider-Man Homecoming” with the caption “SouthSide Spidey.”
Vice president of Plainfield South’s Cougar Boosters Andrea Phillips talks about the inspiration for this year’s theme, saying she wanted a theme that correlated with Movie Adventures but one that was also age appropriate.
“Even though the movie knocked it out of the park, are the kids going to like it? The more and more I thought about if we chose it what we could do with it and then ideas just started rolling,” Phillips said.
Phillips explains how the change in route will affect this year’s participating floats.
“They’re only allowing 80 participants this year, which are either built on a trailer or a walking float. The parade route has changed, which is why they’re only taking 80 floats,” Phillips said.
The route for this year begins going North on James Street, eventually head East on Commercial Street, later going East on Chicago Street, and ending East on Fort Beggs Drive.
All entries will pull into the lot on the Southside of Fort Beggs to let students off.
There’s no insight into what theme the other floats are going to do, which will make for a surprise for guests and participants.
Building floats for the parade is a time consuming process.
“I’m going to say it’s going to take three builds, so we’re not getting the trailer till the day before. We’re going to have to take the build itself and put it on the trailer, so I’d say it takes anywhere from six to ten hours,” Phillips said.
The boosters anticipate community support and participation.
“I hope that everyone just jumps in and participates in one way or another. If they could come out and use their talents, that would be fantastic,” Phillips said.
Kathy Kazmar, president of the Plainfield Homecoming parade, celebrates her last year working with the Plainfield Homecoming Parade after 22 years.
“[The Plainfield Homecoming parade is] a tradition. No other schools in Illinois have a parade as extensive as we do, and it’s one of the largest events that the police do in a one-day event,” Kazmar said.
After 70 years of tradition Kazmar looks forward to the turnout this year.