Parade pageantry part of 4th celebration

Everybody loves Uncle Sam, especially when he's doling out candy and giving high-fives - even more so when he's perched on stilts, making his rounds at a Fourth of July parade.

Thousands of Elginites and their neighbors Friday morning lined downtown Douglas Avenue for this year's Independence Day pageantry.

For most, especially decades-long Elgin residents, the annual Fourth of July parade marked a another year of life in their growing community, which, despite its growing pains, is still home.

"It's a good time," said Henry Runowiecki, more interested in the procession of antique cars rumbling along the parade route than the who's who of politicos that had just passed.

For him, snagging a space on the sidewalk is somewhat of a departure from previous parades.

Normally, the 52-year-old denizen of Elgin's west side would have been in the parade, tossing treats to youngsters and adults alike, representing his club, ABODE, devoted to the city's historical homes.

But with his mother-in-law visiting, the 12-year Elgin resident was a spectator, nodding his head as the long caravan of attractions rolled by.

"It's gotten bigger," Runowiecki noted. "Every year, it's gotten much bigger."

South Elgin also held its big parade, but elsewhere in the Fox Valley, the holiday was celebrated in less broadly traditional ways. Sleepy Hollow held its annual community picnic, this year celebrating its diamond anniversary.