The Homecoming parade will now be part of a celebration MCHS is calling Pack the Point. There will be a new parade route, starting location and a party at Miller Point on Oct. 6.
The parade will start at Veterans Memorial Park and will end by the Freshman Campus. Afterwards everyone will walk to the river by Windhill Pancake Parlor where there will be a celebration with food trucks and live music.
Assistant Superintendent Carl Vallianatos talks about changes to the parade route and the new starting point.
“We’re going to start at Veterans Park and we’re going to go towards the Freshman Campus,” says Vallianatos. “It’s going to finish at the Freshman Campus, and then we’re going to walk over and have an afternoon of fun.”
Live music and food trucks will also be attending the parade along with the community and MCHS students and staff.
“There’s gonna be five, four or five food trucks,” continues Vallianatos. “Obviously, the Riverwalk. Shops are there, restrooms are there but we’re going to have the whole park, the amphitheater. We’re going to invite all of the parents, students and everyone out. Then once everyone gets there, the DJ is going to stop. We’re going to have our rally and our coronation.”
Student Council President Grace Hunt talks about the meeting spot and what will happen after the parade.
“Following the parade, we will walk over and meet the McHenry Community in downtown McHenry,” says Hunt, “by the Little Shoppes area for the Pack the Point event and the Homecoming Rally. There is where Homecoming court will be crowned and other community announcements will be shared.”
After the parade, there will be a celebration at Miller Point with food trucks and live music.
“We’re going to have a live band called Forever Flannel,” Vallianatos added. “It’s a 90s alternative band. They’re gonna play till 4:00. So at 12:30, people probably get over there at about one or 1:15 and then we’ll have three hours of listening to music doing our parade, or it’s gonna be a parade, then rally and coordination, and then the live band and food trucks.”
Members of the Student Council have planned to set up carnival games to play after the parade along with the live music and food trucks.
“The Student Council is planning to get involved and have Carnival Games at the event for the community to interact with and promote the Homecoming theme,” says Hunt, “but this plan is still in the works.”
The setup for the floats will also be at Veterans Park. Clubs and extracurriculars like cross country, newspaper, football and swim will be walking in the parade this year.
“It’s all going to be around. It’s actually just going to be on two of the streets that are right next to Veterans Memorial Park, kind of facing south,” says Vallianatos. “And then the parade is just going to start once everybody’s kind of gathered, and their trucks and their floats are ready, and that’s where, you know, we’re just going to go right down. We’re going to go right on Pearl Street, and then down Green Street.”