Abreanna Blose
| Reporter assisted by AI
Illinois College and the City of Jacksonville are teaming up for a special Homecoming parade.
The event will take place at 10 a.m. Oct. 4 and will feature a new route, according to a community announcement.
The parade will start on Park Street, with staging around Jacksonville Middle School and the Illinois College Facilities parking lot. It will then travel north on Park Street, east on West College Avenue and continue into downtown Jacksonville. The parade will turn north at Mauvaisterre Street and conclude just past the Illinois Theatre and Little Stove.
Parade-goers can expect to see classic floats, student and alumni groups, local organizations, marching bands and special tributes celebrating Illinois College’s presence in the city and Jacksonville’s 200-year history.
Details about street closures, parking and viewing areas will be announced in the coming weeks.
Participants interested in joining the parade can visit the Homecoming page for more information. The City of Jacksonville will award prize money for the best overall bicentennial theme: $500 for first place, $300 for second place and $100 for third place.
Illinois College, founded in 1829, is a residential liberal arts college located in Jacksonville. The college has an enrollment of more than 1,000 students and offers over 50 undergraduate programs. In 1932, the society of Phi Beta Kappa established a chapter at Illinois College, making it one of only 11 in the state.
The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association.
This story was created by reporter Abreanna Blose, ablose@gannett.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.