Parade, fest offer glimpse of the heart of Gurnee

Gurnee is known for Six Flags Great America and Gurnee Mills.

But for a real window into the life of the town, just head to Greenleaf Street before the start of the village's annual Gurnee Days Parade.

There you will hear the Warren Township High School Blue Devil Band tuning up, as they get ready to play "Anchors Aweigh."

You will see village trustees hauling red wagons full of candy, and spectators seated on the curbs or tucked under umbrellas to guard them from the hot sun.

It's a familiar view for JoAnn Suda, who has lived on the street for more than 50 years, even before the parade was a glimmer of an idea.

"We enjoy being able to sit here and not have to carry our chairs down the street," said Suda, whose guests for Sunday's parade included her daughter, Laura, who was visiting from Colorado.

"It just shows off our community," Mayor Kristina Kovarik said of the parade. "This is the heart of Gurnee, Gurnee Days. Because it's the people who live here that come together, put it on, have fun and participate."

The parade was one of the events culminating a four-day festival that referred to the current Olympic Games with the theme, "Gurnee Days Goes for the Gold."

Eighty-seven entries were entered in the parade, up from 56 last year, an official said. Among them was a float commemorating the 100th anniversary of Warren Township High School. Prior to the parade, several members of the Warren band crowded in front of the float filled with vintage photographs.

The shared experience of generations was a theme hovering about the event.

Gurnee resident Kim Ghys said she has enjoyed the parade since she was a child. This year she enjoyed it even more as the parent of this year's Little Miss Gurnee, her 9-year-old daughter Morgan.

"I think this is the best weekend for Gurnee. We were at the (festival) yesterday from 10 in the morning until 10 at night. We look forward to this all year," Ghys said.

Another fixture of the community, the Warren-Newport Public Library, was represented by its bookmobile, as well as three motorcycles advertising the library's upcoming Bikers for Books Memorial Ride to raise funds for educational technology for youth at the library.

Brian Niemi, husband of library Trustee Sue Niemi, was among the bikers. Seeing the crowd gathered to watch the procession made him wax nostalgic.

"I remember when we used to bring our young kids to the Gurnee Days Parade with Sue's mom and dad," he said. "I started thinking Mayberry R.F.D. and I'm looking for Andy and Barney and Aunt Bea."