Memorial Day parade in Lake View emphasizes walking, not watching

If Danielle Conradie looks outside her home in Lake View on Memorial Day morning, she’s guaranteed to see hundreds of neighbors waiting outside. Three years ago, somewhat accidentally, her family bought the home of the man who started the neighborhood’s annual Memorial Day parade.“It’s just fun,” she said of the parade, now in its 62nd year. “They gather outside of our house, so it’s pretty easy to join in.”And everybody does join in, just as they did on Monday. It’s right in the motto of the Wellington-Oakdale Old Glory Marching Society’s parade: “Everybody marches, nobody (just) watches.”In other words, the do-it-yourself parade encourages community over spectating.Not that it’s an enforceable rule, and on Monday, some did break it, choosing to watch the parade go by.Regardless, most of an estimated thousand people strolled around the neighborhood, beginning at starting at Pine Grove and Wellington avenues.Many participants have been attending for decades. Since 1963, the parade has happened in some form every Memorial Day and Labor Day.“It’s a way to just get the kids outside and have something fun to do,” said organizer Liz Cohen. “Even during COVID, we did it virtually. So we have not missed one.”Participants walk down West Barry Avenue during the the Wellington-Oakdale Old Glory Marching Society parade in Lake View on Monday.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-TimesAl Weisman, the former owner of Conradie’s home, started the parade as a way to teach his kids about patriotism, says resident Mike Lufrano.“He grabbed a flag and he marched around the block,” Lufrano said. “And some neighbors said, ‘What are you doing?’ And he said, ‘Well, I’m teaching my kids about patriotism.’ And they said, ‘Can we join you?’”In a way, Lufrano participated in the parade before he was born. His mother, a secretary at Weisman’s public relations firm, marched in the parade while pregnant.Lufrano has marched in it ever since.“It was always a way to get the neighborhood out. We live in our houses in Chicago because it’s so cold all winter and then you finally get spring and we want to go out and see everybody,” he said.A member of the Jesse White Drum Corps performs during the Wellington-Oakdale Old Glory Marching Society parade in Lake View.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-TimesMany seem to know each other in the neighborhood, stopping by before the parade to suggest books for their children to read and make plans for after the parade.When Weisman died, his son Tony ran the parade for decades before moving away. Within the last decade, a group of residents decided to form a board for the parade to keep the tradition going.This year, the parade kicked off at 11 a.m., as residents begin winding their way through the route to the sounds of the Jesse White Drum Corps. It’s not the type of celebration that involves large floats or an overflow of decor.Kids wave small American flags and glide on decorated scooters and bikes, while adults stroll along in a variety of Memorial Day attire.After about half an hour, the capstone event begins — a performance by the Jesse White Tumblers, who spent another 30 minutes spinning, twirling, jumping and flipping every way imaginable to constant “oohs” and “aahs” from the crowd. At one point, several kids in the audience are enlisted as hurdles for the some tumblers to jump over.A performer leaps in the air during a performance by the Jessie White Tumblers at the Wellington-Oakdale Old Glory Marching Society parade in Lake View on Monday.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-TimesTo many of the kids, watching the acrobatic leaps and precarious stunts are the best parts of the day.“When you’re marching then your feet hurt, that’s why I like (the Tumblers),” said Charlie Fitzgerald, 7.Her friend Anna Conradie, who lives with her sister, Sophie, and parents in the Weisman home, disagrees.“The marching part is still fun because you feel proud and you feel grown up,” said Anna, 8, who along with Sophie had roller-bladed along the parade route sporting blue lipstick to match their patriotic attire.After the performance, Anna Conradie was giddy from a high-five from one of the tumblers.But the girls wish they could’ve been one of the volunteers.“I probably would’ve said yes,” Anna Conradie said. “It would be just an honor.”Kids ride their bikes in the Wellington-Oakdale Old Glory Marching Society parade in Lake View on Monday.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times