Edwardsville – The City of Edwardsville Parks and Recreation Department is hosting their first Edwardsville Shoebox Parade taking place on Saturday, September 5, 2020 at 9:00 AM. This virtual parade will be broadcast on Facebook and posted on the Parks and Recreation website for everyone to enjoy.
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This parade is a chance for local families, children, nonprofits, school organizations, local sports teams and commercial businesses to build a float -- a small float – and be featured virtually on the Edwardsville Parks and Rec Facebook page.
“This is a fun way for families in the community to get creative. It is also a great way to showcase a club, nonprofit or business in the community,” said Trina Vetter, Special Events Coordinator for Edwardsville Parks and Recreation.
Edwardsville staff will emcee the parade along with the edited video showing each float as it “drives” down the street. Their fun banter will include information about each float, participant and connection to the community.
Floats do not need to be made out of a shoebox! Contributors can be as creative as they want with items found around the home or office as long as the size is not larger than 9” x 13” in order to fit in the backdrop screen area. “We are hoping that the community is only limited by their imagination,” said Trina.
Those interested in this event can fill out the submission form on the Parks and Rec website and drop it off with their float at the Edwardsville City Hall between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM Monday through Friday or at the Edwardsville Public Library during their varied open hours. Submissions are due by Sunday, August 30, 2020.
COVID-19 has limited events due to attendance size restrictions and health concerns for the community. Planning events that are fun and safe has been more of a challenge this year than any other. The Edwardsville Parks and Rec department, like many local organizations, continues to look for inspiration from other areas and think outside the normal box or, in this case, the shoebox.
Participation in the Shoebox Parade is free of charge for the community, nonprofits and other organizations. There is a small fee for local commercial businesses. That fee will be used to purchase gift cards from local businesses and divided equally among the seven prize categories. The first five categories depend on who is submitting the float. The department is asking that floats be held to these categories and are not including political floats this year.
- Best Commercial Float
- Best Family/Individual Float
- Best Non-Profit Float
- Best Educational Organization – School Club or Group
- Best Sports Team
The next two categories can be won by any submission and can be given to the winner of an individual category or another entry.
- Special Theme Winner – “Storybooks on Parade”
- Grand Trophy Winner – This is the fan favorite and will be an online vote held on Facebook after the completion of the parade.
Participants can print off the submission for to enter the Edwardsville Shoebox Parade via the park districts website at www.cityofedwardsville.com/596/Edwardsville-Virtual-Shoebox-Parade.
The virtual parade can be watched by anyone and everyone no matter where they live on the park departments Facebook page at 9:00 AM on Saturday, September 5, 2020. www.facebook.com/EdwardsvilleParksAndRec The parks department will add to the fun by creating an “I-Spy” style worksheet to go along with the parade that can be printed ahead of time. All items plus the video will be posted on the parks website. So don’t miss it!
