Garfield Ridge Chamber’s pet parade almost here

Paws to hit pavement at Wentworth Park

By Tim Hadac

Hundreds of Clearing and Garfield Ridge dogs—and perhaps even a few reluctant cats—are expected to parade around Wentworth Park, 57^th and Narragansett, this Saturday, June 4.

Many dog owners dress their pets in costumes. Mimi, a 6-year-old Chihuahua, was dressed as a taco at the 2018 event. –File photo

Sponsor of the event is the Garfield Ridge Chamber of Commerce.

“This event has been extremely well-received by the community since we started it in 2018,” said GRCC President Mary Ellen Brown, referring to the Chamber’s inaugural pet parade in 2018. “It’s a fun event that gets people and pets out of the house.”

The event is scheduled to start with a 9 a.m. blessing of the pets on the park’s east end, in the main parking lot of Kinzie School. The parade itself should step off at 9:15 a.m.

From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. services for dogs and cats will be available on a first, come, first served basis from Chicago Animal Care and Control staffers. Some of the services available will be micro-chipping, as well as rabies and distemper vaccinations.

The event also will include raffles, as well as a pet costume contest with prizes.

Chamber members will have the opportunity to use the event to spread the word about their businesses. In fact, one underlying aim of all GRCC public events is to get people out of their homes and enjoy the community, presumably being exposed to local businesses in a positive way.

• In other GRCC news, Chamber officials have announced that their next general meeting is set for noon Tuesday, June 7 at Crossroads Community Church, 5433 S. Austin. All GRCC members are encouraged to attend. Also welcome non-member business owners who are considering joining the Chamber.
• The annual Archer Cruise Night is set for 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, June 10, along Archer, roughly from Nashville to Normandy.

Owners of classic cars, trucks, motorcycles and other vehicles are invited to showcase them in the Jiffy Lube or MacNeal medical center parking lots, on a first, come, first reserved basis. Vehicle owners may also park on the street.

The event is co-sponsored by the Garfield Ridge Neighborhood Watch. Food trucks are expected to be selling a wide range of items. Also, there will be live music.

• The annual Patriot’s Day Parade is set for Thursday, June 30. The parade will step off just east of Archer and Central at 7 p.m., heading west down Archer to Merrimac, where it will turn south and disperse at Kennedy High School.