Jarrett Payton and family will be the St. Charles Holiday Homecoming grand marshal
The St. Charles Business Alliance and the Events Committee recently announced that Jarrett Payton and his family as the grand marshal for the 2024 St. Charles Electric Christmas Parade.
It will take place on Saturday, Nov. 30, in downtown St. Charles. The Electric Christmas Parade, presented by St. Charles Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, is part of St. Charles Holiday Homecoming, which is a two-day event that begins on Friday, Nov. 29, with a Lighting of the Lights Ceremony, sponsored by Solutions Networking.
Jarrett Payton, son of the late Chicago Bears legend, Walter Payton, currently resides in St. Charles. Payton had a successful football career at the University of Miami, where he appeared in five major bowl games, and even received the Most Valuable Player of the 2004 Orange Bowl. Following his college career, Payton went on to play football professionally for teams including the Tennessee Titans, Montreal Alouettes, and the Toronto Argonauts.
Aside from an extraordinary football career, Payton has also made exceptional contributions in the community through the Jarrett Payton Foundation that was started in 2011. The Jarrett Payton Foundation is committed to positively impacting the lives of children and adolescents by creating and providing programs that present them with a wide variety of opportunities and to help develop their leadership skills and enrich their lives.
The signature program of the Jarrett Payton Foundation is Project: No Bull, an in-school, anti-bullying program helping to create and maintain safe environments for the youth. To find more information on the Jarrett Payton Foundation, visit www.jarrettpayton.org.
Along with his positive impact on the youth in the community, Payton has also embraced media and business opportunities. In 2015, he began his role as a sports reporter on WGN-TV, as well as co-anchor of GN Sports. Payton also has been involved in several business ventures outside of this, including his partnership in Flagship on the Fox Sports Bar and Dukes Northwoods in downtown St. Charles.
“St. Charles is a wonderful, growing city filled with fantastic businesses and extraordinary residents,” Payton said. “I am honored to be named grand marshal of this exciting community tradition, and I encourage everyone to come out to help ring in the holiday season.”
At 5:30 p.m., the Electric Christmas Parade starts at Sixth Street and travels down Main Street to conclude at Fourth Avenue. The parade will feature bands, parade floats, and a special guest, Santa Claus.
The Presenting Sponsor for this year’s Holiday Homecoming is St. Charles Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. Additional sponsors include @Properties Christie’s International Real Estate, MKFM Law, The Pride Stores, Solutions Networking Corporation, Christ Community Church, Hotel Baker, Matrix Basement Finishing, McGrath Honda of St. Charles, McNally’s Heating & Cooling, Premier Living Real Estate, Smile Haven Dental Studio, Smithfield, St. Charles Closets, Trotter and Associates Inc., Wahlburgers, Arcada Theatre, Comcast, Karas Restaurant Group, St. Charles Plastic Surgery, Teqworks, and Theriault Booth LLC. Attorney’s at Law.
For more information on the Electric Christmas Parade and the St. Charles Holiday Homecoming, visit www.stcholidayhomecoming.com. For questions, contact the St. Charles Business Alliance at (630) 443-3967.