Aurora parade an unqualified success

As commander of the Roosevelt-Aurora American Legion Post 84, I would like to thank all the people who came to the celebrate Independence Day at the Fourth of July parade in downtown Aurora. The crowd was spectacular and the largest I have seen in all my years participating. I would also like to thank the parade committee, which met every Monday morning for months in planning and organizing the day.

However, the parade would not have been possible without the support of many organizations. Not only do I personally appreciate the support, but I know thousands of people who attended the parade also appreciate the support from our sponsors. First and foremost, I would like to acknowledge the support of the mayor and the city council. Not only did the mayor pledge to match our funds up to $15,000, but in addition, the Alderman-At-Large fund supported the services of our parade coordinator, Sanura Young, who was instrumental in the organizing of the parade.

Everyone who attended the parade should know that generous organizations helped us not only meet the match from the city of Aurora but also exceeded it. Thank you to Laborers Local 149; Hollywood Casino and Waubonsee Community College for being our top sponsors of the parade. In addition, I would like to thank Geneva Construction, Aurora Firefighters Union Local 99, Aurora Fastprint and Alphagraphics for their generosity as well.

We offer an invitation to attend our post meeting to those who helped make the parade such a great event. In addition, we welcome all veterans to attend as well. We meet the second Tuesday of each month at Elmer’s Dog House on Route 25 for breakfast at 9 a.m.

Norris “Doc” Erickson

Aurora