Roselle mayor prepares for her last Rose Parade
Roselle's 57th annual Rose Parade this weekend will be Mayor Gayle Smolinski's last.
DuPage County's longest-serving mayor has decided not to seek re-election next April, so Sunday's parade will be the final time she rides in the event.
"I've been in the parade each year since 1986," said Smolinski, who first participated as a trustee before becoming mayor in 1993.
Smolinski said she never missed a parade because it was an opportunity to see fellow Roselle residents and their families.
"It gives you such a rush of community and joy," she said. "To me, it's the highlight of the summer. It's the reason I do this job."
The parade, which is presented by the Roselle Chamber of Commerce, steps off at 2 p.m. from the intersection of Roselle Road and Devon Avenue. It will finish at Irving Park Road and Lawrence Avenue.
Sunday's procession will include floats, marching bands, beauty pageant winners, fire trucks and police vehicles and people passing out candy. Jared Wickstrom, the chamber's 2016 Business Person of the Year, will be the grand marshal.
Smolinski will ride in a car near the front of the parade. She will be joined by supporters walking with a banner thanking residents.
She said the parade and annual Rose Festival, which kicks off Thursday night, both celebrate the start of summer in Roselle.
The Rose Festival, sponsored by the Roselle Lions Club, opens at 6 p.m. Thursday and continues through Sunday at the Roselle train station parking lot at Irving Park Road and Maple Avenue. Thousands are expected to attend the four-day festival, which will feature food, carnival rides and music.
Smolinksi said she chose not to seek another term because she wants to spend more time with family, including her grandchildren. The 63-year-old also admits she's become less patient with state lawmakers.
"They are making it harder for us just to do our job," she said.
She said the time has come for her to move on and leave the community in good hands.
"We have a great village board," Smolinski said. "We have a great staff. And I've accomplished everything I set out to do."
Of course, Smolinksi says she still has some things she wants to wrap up during her remaining 11 months in office, including the fight to oppose ComEd's proposal to run overhead power lines along the Elgin-O'Hare Expressway.
"I will be working up until the last day." she said.
As for where she plans to be during next year's Rose Parade, Smolinksi says she will be in the audience "helping my grandkids collect candy."