Street Closures Garner Support for St. Charles Parades, Scarecrow Fest

St. Charles aldermen once more smiled upon the city's two high schools and the noted Scarecrow Festival, voting Monday night to recommend approval of street closures for the homecoming parades and the annual fall celebration.

Aldermen meeting as the City Council Government Services Committee approved Police Chief Jim Lamkin’s recommendation that street closures be allowed for both high schools’ homecoming parades, which last about 30 minutes:

• 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20, 2013: St. Charles North High School.

Lamkin told aldermen that East High School had expressed a desire to hold its parade on Main Street, the city’s traditional parade route. But continued construction on East Main Street/Route 64, plus the difficulty semis have navigating detours to Illinois Street, prompted a recommendation to stick with the Illinois Street parade route for a third year.

The construction on East Main/Route 64 is approaching the end of its third and final year.

The $3,586 cost to the city associated with each parade is waived by city policy for government entities, Lamkin said.

Scarecrow Festival

Also winning the favor of aldermen was the request for a more expansive closure of both street and parking lots, as well as an amplification permit, for the 2013 Scarecrow Festival, slated for Oct. 11-13 and sponsored by the the St. Charles Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Known to draw 150,000 to 180,000, the annual fest aims to showcase St. Charles businesses while focused on the fall theme of the festival’s namesake. The city is estimating its cost for providing police and other emergency agency personnel at $26,515 for the three-day event.