Saturday’s annual St. Charles Electric Christmas Parade will feature 65 illuminated entries. (City of St. Charles photo)

23 

The streets of downtown St. Charles will be ablaze this weekend during the community’s annual Holiday Homecoming festivities. 

And the brightest highlight of all is the annual Electric Parade. 

Saturday’s parade starts at 5:30 p.m. and runs along Main Street between 6th Street and 4th Avenue in downtown St. Charles. 

All of the parade’s 65 floats will be illuminated, according to Jenna Sawicki, the executive director of the Downtown St. Charles Partnership, organizer of the Holiday Homecoming. 

[Text Wrapping Break]In 2001, the parade time was changed to the evening, Sawicki said.  “That year, the Electric Christmas Parade was born.” 

[Text Wrapping Break]This marks the 38th annual event, which will also feature bands, Miss Illinois and Merry St. Nick. 

“We have close to 200 volunteers the day of the parade making the magic happen,” she said. “Our committee has around 15 dedicated volunteers who work on the parade year round.” 

The Salas family, owners of the Hotel Baker in St. Charles has been named the Grand Marshall of this year’s parade.  The hotel will be celebrating its 90th anniversary next June. 

The property was purchased by its current owners in 2003 in an auction. 

“We are thrilled and honored to have the Salas family as our Grand Marshals,” Sawicki said. The Hotel Baker is a wonderful historic landmark in our downtown that the Salas family has truly made it into our gem.” 

Last year’s Grand Marshals were local celebrities Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg who got married in 2014 at the Hotel Baker.  The event was included in the couple’s reality show, “Donnie Loves Jenny.”  

On Saturday, local restaurants like the Filling Station Pub and Grill will have heaters, a hot chocolate bar, and marshmallow roasting. 

Other Saturday events included in the Holiday Homecoming festivities include: 

*  At 10 a.m. (doors open at 9 a.m.).  The Arcada Theatre will be showing Home Alone.  Free admission. 

*  From 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Storefronts will come alive as part the Live Holiday Window Displays in downtown St. Charles. Members of local dance companies  including Dreams Dance Academy,   Beth Fowler School Of Dance, 3rd Street Dance & Theatre Academy, Inc., and Dance Arts Center Of St. Charles will be taking over local shop windows. 

*  From 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Free horse drawn trolley rides will be given at the First Street Plaza. 

*  From 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.  Santa will be on hand at the First Street Plaza on Saturday, November 25 and throughout the holiday season, Santa’s House will open from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday afternoon from November 25 until December 23. 

The two-day event will kick off at 5 p.m. Friday when Mayor Ray Rogina and the Barra Family officially turn on the city’s holiday lights. 

That event will be held at the First Street Plaza.  Community members are invited to gather to sing Christmas Carols, greet Santa Claus, and enjoy complimentary hot cocoa. 

For more information, visit www.DowntownStCharles.org/Holidays, call the Downtown St. Charles Partnership office at 630-443-3967, or email info@downtownstcharles.org.  

All Holiday Homecoming events and activities are free of charge. 

— St. Charles ready to welcome you home for the holidays —