Arlington Heights officials 'hopeful' about new parade rules

Arlington Heights Village President Arlene Mulder will be somewhere along Dunton Avenue tonight with her fingers crossed.

At 7 p.m. the "blanket ban" expires and the free-for-all for parade spots begins.

"I'm hopeful, very hopeful people will be respectful and honor their neighbors," Mulder said.

So are the police.

There will be two officers on bicycles and two on motorcycles watching the area from 6 to 8 p.m., said Cmdr. Nick Pecora of the Arlington Heights Police Department.

For the first time this year, Arlington Heights officials asked people not to save spots along the Fourth of July parade route until 7 p.m. tonight after things got a little out of hand last year. However since the village board didn't adopt a new ordinance, there are no fines or penalties if people don't comply.

Last summer Dunton Avenue was littered with folding chairs and blankets held down by rocks four days before the parade. Some even installed posts and roped off sections to save seats. Most of the blankets and chairs were put on lawn sections between the sidewalk and streets, which is village-owned property.

Residents who live along the parade route said they water and mow that area all year and should be able to watch the parade in front of their own homes.

Other residents said they should share the public space.

Pete Lippert lives along Dunton Avenue. He said people will dash to save seats as soon as the ban expires and that it could get dangerous.

"People are going be sitting in their cars waiting for 7 p.m. and then rush in all at once," Lippert said. "It's going to be a mob scene."

If this year's system doesn't work, officials could change the village code to prohibit saving spots next year, meaning village officials will pick up and throw away items like blankets which people use to save spots, Mulder said.

But she doesn't want that to happen, which is why she'll be watching the parade route tonight and cheering on politeness.

"I have faith that people will respect a great holiday and a great parade," she said. "People can behave; it's not something I want to legislate."

The Fourth of July parade in Arlington Heights is one of the largest in the Northwest suburbs, with more than 100 units. The parade is one of the big events of Frontier Days at Recreation Park, which typically draws between 100,000 and 150,000 people. In past years, people have stood in crowds up to 12 deep to catch a glimpse of the passing floats and bands.

This year, the parade steps off at 10 a.m. Friday at Oakton and Dunton streets, travels south on Dunton to Miner and then east to Recreation Park.