Labor Day tradition: Parades return to Greenview, Pana

Steven Spearie, Springfield State Journal- Register
·2 min read
The 89th Pana Labor Day Parade steps off from Second and Poplar streets at 10 a.m. Monday.
The 89th Pana Labor Day Parade steps off from Second and Poplar streets at 10 a.m. Monday.

Two central Illinois communities will continue long-standing traditions of Labor Day parades.

Greenview's 54th annual Labor Day Weekend Celebration runs from Saturday to Monday, with the parade stepping off at 10 a.m. Monday.

Billed as "the largest parade on Labor Day in downstate Illinois," the 89th Pana Labor Day Parade also begins at 10 a.m. Monday.

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The starting point is Second and Poplar streets in Pana. The parade will head west down Second Street and wind its way through Kitchell Park, ending near the Chautauqua Pavilion there.

Over 100 entries are expected, said Joshua Ishmael, Chairman of the Labor Day Parade Committee. The theme is “Community Progress — Prairie Values."

Ron and Brenda Sims of Pana will serve as grand marshals. Long active in civic and church-related functions in the community, the couple has been married 57 years and raised four children.

Ron and Brenda Sims will serve as grand marshals for the Pana Labor Day Parade Monday.
Ron and Brenda Sims will serve as grand marshals for the Pana Labor Day Parade Monday.

The Pana Tri-County Fair opens Wednesday and runs through Labor Day. The fairgrounds is at 605 N. 2500 East Rd.

The weekend in Greenview includes a 5K run, food stands, a pie contest, a flea/farmer's market and a storytelling musical of President Abraham Lincoln, “Lincoln Tales Tall and True," put on by Brian “Fox” Ellis and Barry Cloyd.

The Springfield and Central Illinois Trades & Labor Council will hold its Labor Day Picnic at the Illinois AFL-CIO, 534 S. Second St., at 5:30 p.m. Friday.

Monday is a federal holiday, meaning banks and post offices will be closed and there will be no mail delivery.

Government buildings

Federal buildings and courts, state of Illinois offices and courts, the Sangamon County buildings and courts and the Municipal Building, along with Lincoln Library and Oak Ridge Cemetery offices, will be closed.

Eighth grade pre-algebra teacher Courtney Campo hands out some school supplies to students the first day of class at Washington Middle School on Monday, August, 21, 2023.
Eighth grade pre-algebra teacher Courtney Campo hands out some school supplies to students the first day of class at Washington Middle School on Monday, August, 21, 2023.

Schools

Springfield School District 186 administrative offices are closed Monday and there are no classes. The board of education meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

There are no classes at the University of Illinois Springfield, Lincoln Land Community College or Midwest Institute of Technology. Offices at all three campuses are also closed.

SMTD offices
SMTD offices

Public transportation

Sangamon Mass Transit District buses will not be running Monday. That also includes ACCESS paratransit service. SMTD administrative offices will be closed.

Alan Espinoza, 17, of Addison, Illinois, touches the nose on Abraham Lincoln's statue at the Lincoln Tomb for good luck while on a trip with his high school class on Wednesday Feb. 9, 2022.
Alan Espinoza, 17, of Addison, Illinois, touches the nose on Abraham Lincoln's statue at the Lincoln Tomb for good luck while on a trip with his high school class on Wednesday Feb. 9, 2022.

What is open in Springfield Monday?

Tourist sites, such as the Lincoln Home, the Lincoln Tomb, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and the Dana-Thomas House are all open during normal hours on Monday.

Contact StevenSpearie: (217) 622-1788; sspearie@sj-r.com; X, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Two central Illinois communities will stage Labor Day parades