Bands outnumber floats at Hoffman Estates Tartan Day parade
At Saturday's Tartan Day parade in Hoffman Estates, bands far outnumbered the floats.
From the traditional bagpipe units and drum and bugle corps, to a Bolivian dance troupe and Soul Steppers unit, the parade was filled with vibrant displays of culture.
Tartan Day parades typically celebrate the contributions of Scotch Americans, but the Hoffman Estates version broadened the concept to include many different cultures.
"We've expanded our celebration," said Mayor William McLeod, who is of Scotch decent. "We've got a lot of diversity here in Hoffman Estates, and we want to celebrate the heritage of everyone."
McLeod walked the parade route, proudly wearing his Clan McLeod yellow plaid kilt.
"It's a beautiful, fun-filled day to celebrate with all of these community activities," McLeod said.
The parade's 60 units stepped off on Prairie Stone Parkway near Cabela's, and marched toward the Sears Centre arena, where families continued their exploration of international cultures at the village's "Celebration of Nations - Unity Day."
Festivities concluded Saturday night with the Heartland International Tattoo Music and Dance Festival. The colorful military pageant featured brass bands, and some of the same bagpipe units and drum and bugle corps from the parade.
This was first year village leaders combined their parade and Unity Day activities, and timed them with the international tattoo at the Sears Centre. The village's Cultural Awareness Committee organizes Unity Day every year, and reasoned that by adding the international component, it only strengthened the event.
Families sitting along Prairie Stone Parkway seemed to agree and eagerly applauded one of the international bands on hand for the parade and the tattoo, the Maastrichtse Verkenners Band or the MVD show band from the Netherlands.
"Judging by the number of bands and performance groups, this is a good one," Lee Christopher, of Streamwood, said of the parade.
The first band to step off, the Crystal Lake Strikers drum line --- led by Crystal Lake Mayor Aaron Shepley --- seemed to set the tone for the family-friendly event, where units performed frequently along the route.
The Strikers returned for a second year and drew crowds to gather when they stopped, to see them perform to such songs as "Wipe Out."
Area Boy Scouts worked as handlers, holding onto oversized balloons, much like those in the Macy's Day Parade in New York, in between musical units. They kept the balloons --- all in the shape of stars --- low because of the wind, and still they had trouble.
"It's actually pretty hard," said 14-year-old Morgan Wagner of Hoffman Estates. "It's windy and heavy, and it keeps wanting to pull you up."
Traditional Scottish groups peppered the lineup, including the Tunes of Glory pipe band and Thistle and Heather Highland Dancers. The Chicago Stockyard Kilty Band brought up the rear as the final unit, fittingly playing, "Scotland the Brave."