Falun Gong Participates Tenth Time in the Evanston Independence Day Parade

EVANSTON, Ill.—This year’s July Fourth marked the 234th anniversary of the United States. Every year, the city of Evanston, a northeast suburb of Chicago, holds a large parade to celebrate this holiday. While the temperature reached as high as 91 degrees F, the parade still attracted tens of thousands of spectators.

The Evanston Independence Day Parade first started 88 years ago in 1922. The parade procession passes through 11 city blocks on central streets and attracts tens of thousands of spectator every year. In 2003, it was ranked the 3rd largest Independence Day parade in North America.

There are many anecdotes associated with the Evanston Independence Day parade. Every year, to get the best spot to watch the parade, people place chairs or rugs with their names on them next to the road weeks in advance. Some even use ropes and tapes to “reserve” their spots. All the furniture on the road has created many issues for city workers. Some people humorously call this an “outdoor furniture show.”

People say that this trend started in 1980 and has been getting worse each year so that some have even started to “reserve” their spots weeks in advance. This has caused complaints from local residents and the local government.

Forced to address the issue, a regulation was passed that forbids placing chairs, rugs, and any means of “reserving” spots before July 1. Violators will have their furniture taken and will be fined $100-$500. It’s only after this regulation that the trend has started to die down. This anecdote shows just how much people love this parade.

According to parade organizers, due to the weak economy and the fact that money for organizing the parade comes mostly from private donations, this year’s budget for the parade was smaller than usual. Ten years ago, the parade’s budget was $40,000; this year’s was less than $9,000. Despite the smaller budget, the parade size had not been reduced: 117 organizations participated.