Bandits, Elgin beat drizzle for great 4th of July parade

A light drizzle could not stop us or the Elgin 4th of July Parade. Jamie Schloredt, Hannah Michal, Erin Bault and I hopped in line with interns Gail and Brooke and some friends of the Bandits to stroll down Douglas street with the Bandits mobile (chevy truck above) and the team bus (also above) to entertain parade goers with suckers, smiles and friendly waves. Not sure on the amount of people that lined the street, but I do know that we ran out of suckers just before we reached the end of the parade route. That's 180 suckers X 3 bags which is 540 suckers, so more people than that.

It was a blast being in the parade. When we first arrived we parked at the local library and then realized how far it was from the parking lot to the start of the parade. Luckily, we saw the team bus on Kimball and bolted over to it for an easy ride to the front. Being relatively inexperienced in parades, some of us moved a little to slow and had to sprint - flat out sprint - to catch up with the Bandits Mobile and Team Bus before the judges table at the end of the route. Also, when I did catch up to the Bandits Mobile, I attempted to hop on the little ledge that sticks out to help you in the car.... definitley almost slid right off the side and would've face planted in the middle of the parade had I not caught myself. Once I had my footing we were good to go.

My apologees to the Elgin 4th of July Parade volunteer -- I'm sorry that I was throwing candy from the car.

- aphillips@chicagobandits.com