Parade survives cancellation threat, lights up Naperville for holidays
The Little Friends Parade of Lights was the parade that almost didn't happen.
But when it stepped off Sunday evening in downtown Naperville, the magic of floats and lights and Santa made up for a few months of fears that the parade would have to be canceled.
About 50 organizations joined the jolly man in red in participating in the spectacle, while thousands watched from the sidelines of Jackson, Main and Van Buren streets in the city's decorated downtown.
The parade nearly was scrapped early this fall amid concerns it would hamper business at downtown shops during one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year. But Naperville officials and leaders of Little Friends, which serves people with autism and other developmental disabilities, worked together to plan a new route and keep the tradition going.