Galesburg Labor Day Parade taking shortened route this year

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The Galesburg Labor Day Parade is getting ready to roll down Main Street next Monday but with a slightly shorter route.

Due to East Main Street Underpass construction beginning any day now the parade will take the same abbreviated route that the Memorial Day parade did.

It’s essentially the traditional route down Main, then turning south on Cherry towards the Knox County Courthouse, only it will begin at Seminary Street.

Parade Organizer Randy Bryan tells WGIL this is the 124th year for the parade.

In fact it’s the second longest Labor Day parade in the nation.

“So it goes New York City, Galesburg, Illinois,” Bryan says.

Bryan says it’s important to remember that most of the people seen in the parade are local residents who belong to some kind of union.

“I think it’s important because they get to see you know, these are the people who go out–some of them travel a couple of hours to go to their job every day,” Bryan says. “They bring their paycheck back to Galesburg and go out eat in Galesburg, they buy wood for a deck. I feel it kind of keeps the community going a little stronger.”

Grand Marshal this year will be Larry VanVelsor, union president at Maytag at the time they closed in Galesburg.

Bryan says the position is a way to honor an individual who has shown to be pro-labor through their work career.

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