Evanston RoundTable, July 6, 2025

We moved to Evanston in 1983. I’ve been to every Fourth of July parade since — that’s 42 years of parade watching and cheering. (My wife missed the first two years tending to our little children.)

It’s true that in years gone by the parades were longer, with perhaps twice as many entries as this year’s 87, and ran a full two hours. This one was just a little over an hour.

No matter; it was fabulous. There’s nothing more grandly American than a grand Fourth of July, with parades, tournaments, backyard barbecues and fireworks.

At the Evanston parade this year, as always, there was plenty of people-watching and -connecting. Entirely by coincidence, my wife and I sat between two people I play pickleball with at the McGaw YMCA. Mayor Daniel Biss came by to work the crowd, and we chatted briefly.

Other politicians who walked or rode Central Street included U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, state Rep. Robyn Gabel and Cook County Commissioner Josina Morita. State Sen. Laura Fine, Kat Abughazaleh and Howard Rosenblum, who are running for Schakowsky’s seat (as is Biss) were there; so was Patrick Hanley and Rachel Ruttenberg, both running for state senator. (Or at least they were listed; I didn’t see every parade entrant.)

Police Chief Schenita Stewart rode in style as one of the parade grand marshals.

One of the great highlights of Evanston’s annual parade is the music. This year’s bands did not disappoint, from the Chesterton (Indiana) Trojan Guard to the Eclipse Drum & Bugle Corps, the Four Star Brass Band, the Wilmette Community Band and maybe best of all the Chicago Highlanders bagpipes.

I loved the Model Ts, the headlight-blinking Miatas, the South Shore Drill Team, the acrobats, the Peace Puppets, the Jesse White Tumblers (who grace us with their presence every year), the Illinois Wheelmen, the soccer kids, the high school kids, the Scouts and the mariachi band. Backlot’s entry was outstanding as always, and the 1949 cherry red Packard, courtesy of the Democratic Party of Evanston, was a knockout.

Best of all (for me) was the RoundTable’s entry, our first ever, with half a dozen reporters waving and cheering to an enthusiastic crowd.

Why do I love it so? Four reasons on the Fourth:

1. It’s so Evanston, from the silly (kazoos) to the somber (Falun Dafa) to the sublime (Charros de la Mesa on horseback).
2. It’s so inclusive. Everyone who wants to march can, so we get local firms such as American Taxi Dispatch, Priehl Cleaning, Bill’s Mobile Sharpening Service and American Vintage Home. In the past, there was the lawnmower brigade (sadly missed) as well as the occasional individual — this year it was David Zornig and his 1961 Plymouth Valiant V200. Why not?
3. It’s so fun. I got a picture posing with Uncle Sam and Sparky — what a hoot! There are the police motorcycles and fire trucks, the dancers and dogs, Jan fans and other handouts. We scored a couple of free tickets (a $38 value!) to the Chicago Union’s Ultimate Frisbee Game at Martin Field immediately after the parade ended. My wife and I went and loved it.
4. It’s so important. Fourth of July, like the constitution and the National Parks, represents the best of our nation. Regardless of how we might feel about the state of America at the moment, we can all come together once a year to celebrate an incredible anniversary, the birth of an idea, a people and a land continually in the process of seeking a more perfect union.