Last Call for Dairy Days Parade entries

By Bruce Johnson | The Journal-Standard

 

The parade will kick off at 1 p.m. on East Spring Street, turn north on Van Buren Avenue to Main Street, east on Main Street to State Avenue, north on State Avenue to Exchange Street, west on Exchange Street to Van Buren Avenue, north on Van Buren Avenue to Douglas Street, east on Douglas Street past the announcer’s stand at the Stewart Center, and north on Chicago Avenue, where it will end.

The fabulous Lowdown Brass Band from Chicago will be back energizing the crowd, and we’ll once again have a wide array of entries. Union Dairy will have some activities for kids and family after the parade, so come make an afternoon of it.

 

Parade of Progress Tractor Drive and Show

 

Our numbers have grown nicely, and we have a good group lined up for our tractor drive Saturday, concluding with the Bill Motter Memorial Tractor Show from noon to 4 p.m. across the street from Union Dairy on Douglas Street in Freeport.

 

Our caravan will hit the road from Freeport around 8:30 a.m., heading south on Baileyville Road to Lamm Road, west on Lamm to Industrial Drive and Seaga Drive to Route 26. We’ll head west on Becker School Road to Bolton Road, then west on Loran Road to Route 73. A short stretch of Route 73 will lead us to our rest stop at the Pearl City Fire Department; afterwards, we’ll head back on Babbs Grove Road, turn north on Rink Road, and follow Stephenson Street all the way back into town before jogging north on Green Street and east on Douglas Street to the show site. I encourage people to view the tractors along the route or join us for the show at Union Dairy. There will be some beautifully restored classic tractors of all flavors.

 

Preparing for the transition

 

I’m looking forward to assuming the presidency of the Freeport Rotary Club on July 6, when current president George Walker passes the gavel after completing his term of leadership. We’re entering a period of transition when our club is going to alter its current format slightly to better accommodate the schedule needs of our members and prospective members while reaching out into the community with more service opportunities.

 

We will be holding regular meetings on the first, third and fifth Mondays of each month at noon at the Farm Bureau, but each month will also include an after-hours social event without any formal program.

 

We’ll also be facilitating numerous service opportunities, including outside initiatives and club-organized projects. We plan to reach out to other service clubs and organizations in Freeport to explore mutual opportunities, and I am very excited about our journey down this new path.