Civility reigned at Arlington Heights parade
Turns out people were polite after all.
Last month Arlington Heights officials asked parade goers not to reserve spots along the Fourth of July parade route earlier than 7 p.m. the night before the parade.
There were no penalties for people who ignored the signs, but people followed the rules anyway, said Village Manager Bill Dixon.
"We put our faith in our residents and I'm grateful to them," added Village President Arlene Mulder.
The only blip came when public works employees took down the signs an hour too early. The signs were removed at 6 p.m. and the ban expired at 7 p.m., causing a bit of a free-for-all.
That won't happen next year - the signs will stay up until 7 p.m., Dixon said. But it went well enough that so far no penalties will be assessed next year, either.
A year ago, Dunton Avenue was littered with folding chairs and blankets held down by rocks - in some cases four full days before the parade. Some people even installed posts and roped off sections to save their seats.
Most of the blankets and chairs were put on the parkways, which is village-owned property.
It caused tension between parade-goers - who argued the parkways are public property - and residents who live along the parade route, who protested they care for their parkways all year long and should have dibs on the spots; and didn't like having squatters, besides.
The Fourth of July parade in Arlington Heights is one of the largest in the Northwest suburbs, with more than 100 units and people standing 12 deep along the parade route.
The parade is part of Frontier Days, a five-day regional festival that typically draws 100,000-150,000 people.
The idea to restrict when people could save spots for the parade received tons of media attention this year. Still, the greatest informational tool appeared to be the small signs posted along the route a week before the parade, Dixon said.
The signs read: "As a courtesy, please do not reserve space along the parkway for parade prior to 7 p.m. on July 3. Thank you."