One week after it was canceled, Geneva’s Swedish Days parade is back on

There will be a Swedish Days parade in Geneva this year after all.

Several businesses, led by State Street Jewelers, announced Monday that they will organize the parade.

The announcement comes one week after the Geneva Chamber of Commerce, which has done the parade since 1950, announced it was canceling it.

The parade will be smaller and “community-driven,” according to a news release.

“When we heard the parade wasn't going to be part of this year's festival, a small group of us knew we had to step up,” said Kelly Vass, general manager of the jewelry store, in the news release.

Especially since Martha Sanchez, a 50-year employee of the store, was due to be the parade marshal, Vass said.

The news release said chamber of commerce President Michael Olesen, who owns Stockholm’s Pub, and Mike Simon, owner of The Little Traveler store, are helping to fund for the parade. Other downtown businesses are also contributing financial support, as well as marketing and logistics aid.

The procession will feature local businesses, community organizations, youth groups, and cultural entries.

The parade is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. on June 28, the last day of the festival. As usual, it will start at Geneva High School, proceed south on Anderson Boulevard, east on State and south on Third Street, ending at the train station.

Last week, Olesen said that chamber participation in and attendance at the parade had declined in recent years.

The chamber decided that money spent putting on the parade might be better spent on other activities that would attract more people on the Sunday of the festival, including entertainment and unspecified “family-friendly” activities.