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‘Celebrate Libertyville’ this Saturday with parade, food and costume contest
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LIBERTYVILLE – A group called FACES of Libertyville has put together a fun-filled day on Saturday, Oct. 25 to “Celebrate Libertyville” with activities all morning and afternoon.
The highlight of the day is the town’s annual parade beginning at city park at 11 a.m., but it’s just one of many things to do that day. The day begins with a firefighter breakfast from 7:30-10:30 a.m. at the fire station, followed by a vendor show at the station from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Free face painting will be available at the station from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and food vendors will be on site from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dress up for the costume contest at city park at 10:45 a.m., with sign-up starting at 10:30 a.m. After the 11 a.m. parade, the fire station will host a Trunk-or-Treat from noon to 1:30 p.m.
The event is being put on by FACES of Libertyville which stands for “Friends Arranging Celebrations, Entertainment, and Shindigs.” Its president is Nicole Roulet, with Dale Sue Glass as vice president, and Ashley Eastburn as treasurer. Other committee members are Colleen Rodibaugh, Dianna and Skeeter Haynes, and Donna Shirkey.
Roulet said this year is a special occasion because it will be the 50th anniversary of the town’s Halloween Parade, started by Marilyn Nance and Carol Streed in 1975.
“They had kids close to the same age so they thought it would be something fun for their kids and the Libertyville Elementary school kids,” Roulet said. “Families would get excited and spend days, even months making handmade or hand sewn costumes for their kids, or even neighbor kids! Marilyn said the school was the heart of our town for a long time and it was always fun to see the costumes the kids would come up with.”
The Halloween Parade has taken on special significance since the closure of Libertyville Elementary School in 2017 because it’s a time the community can come together.
“When the school closed, it broke the heart of this community, so this event was something to look forward to,” Roulet said. “With the awesome support of local businesses and community members, we have continued to push this event to keep going and growing year after year.”
Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com
