The Rotary Club of Jacksonville invites the community to register to participate in its 4th of July Parade, which will take place at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 4. The theme of this year’s parade is “Hope Unites Us.”

Parade Committee co-chair Joan McQuillan said, “We are honoring those whose words and actions lift us up and help us to feel connected–spreading hope, help, support and goodwill in our community.”

Rotarians Phyllis and Keith Lape will serve as parade marshals. The Rotary Club of Jacksonville is proud to honor the Lapes’ long careers in education, their extensive community involvement, and their Service Above Self.

McQuillan said, “Please plan to take part in our parade. Join us in celebrating the hope that unites us as a community.”

The parade route will again originate on Grand Avenue (Morgan County Fairgrounds gate) headed east on West State Street to Central Park, turning right and proceeding counter clockwise around Central Park Plaza, then turning right onto North Main Street.

On the morning of the parade, registration begins at 8:30 a.m. and runs until 9:45 a.m. Registration entry point is on Westgate and Grandstand Road at the Northwest Gate of the Morgan County Fairgrounds. Parade lineup numbers will be assigned the day of the parade. The order of the parade line up is determined by the order in which entrants check in with registration staff; the first checked in will be the first placed. Lineup will be along Grandstand Road on the fairgrounds. Floats and long vehicles must arrive by 9:00 a.m. One person with each entry is required to check in to receive a parade number and last minute information. For entries with multiple vehicles, all vehicles must check in together.

Anyone who hasn’t pre-registered for the parade cannot be guaranteed a place in the parade, but may be offered an opportunity to form up at the end of the parade.

The deadline for pre-registering is 5:00 p.m. on Monday, June 26, 2023. Parade entrants can find registration forms to download at https://jacksonvillerotary.org/independence-day-parade/.