A giant Dalmation from the dog park group, my "roaring 57s" Shriner friends, an ornament on a lawn rangers lawnmower, a green-haired dog with the dogpark group, a Shriner's plane.
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From top left: The Derby Lights cross the railway tracks; a man on stilts; a local citizen with a leprechaun on his shoulder; a Shriner from a mini-chopper unit with a leprechaun in his sidecar; another leprechaun, this time on his own two feet; a giant carrot (don't ask me why) in the Community Center Van; an inflatable leprechaun; a bagpipe player watches from the sidelines (we kept thinking she was waiting to join her unit, but there weren't any bagpipes in the parade); a representative from the German choir with a beer barrel hat. Gotta love this town!
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You know it's a great parade when you have not one, but two, Elvis impersonators. Though in Illinois these days we always have to check twice to be sure it's not a Rod Blagojevich impersonator.
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I asked to take her photo with her bike (she got it from her college roommate) and we ended up watching the parade together. She was waiting for her husband, a River Forest fire fighter, to come by. He did, and waved. Barbara and Paul Stamm.
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The "Roaring 57s" unit of the West Suburban Medinah Shriners gets ready for the Forest Park St. Patrick's Day parade. This unit alone raises $10,000 each year for the Shrine Hospitals, thanks to the "honoraria--nothing as crass as payment" they receive for the 40-60 parades they participate in annually. This year they already have eight parades scheduled on July 4th!
As someone who has been known to do some fundraising in my time, let me tell you that every organization should be fortunate enough to have ambassadors as enthusiastic and knowledgeable as these men are.
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