Freedom Days Parade brings crowds to downtown Sandwich despite sweltering temperatures

Despite the sweltering heat, plenty of people flocked to downtown Sandwich on Saturday to watch the Sandwich Park District’s Freedom Days Parade.

Among the groups participating in the parade was the 10th Illinois Infantry Regiment Civil War Reenacting Group.

Other organizations participating in the parade included the Sandwich Opera House.

The parade route was changed slightly because of the North Main Street reconstruction project that recently got underway.

Many stuck around after the parade to take in the Sandwich Fire Protection District’s annual Blaze in the City car and bike show.

Sugar Grove resident Tim Rogers displayed his 1954 Hudson Hornet at the show.

“I first bought it in 1985 from the original owner,” he said. “And then we moved out to Sugar Grove from Elmhurst. We were downsizing, so I sold the car. And then 20 years later, I bought it back from the same owners.”

In the 2006 movie “Cars,” the character Doc Hudson is a 1951 Hudson Hornet.

“I love the nostalgia and originality of the car,” Rogers said.

The car gets the attention of people of all ages, he said. “I love working on it, too.”

Rogers said this is the first year he has been part of the Blaze in the City car and bike show.

Vendors sold their wares next to the show, including Oswego resident Jon Doud, owner of The Bowl Doc. His wife grew up in Sandwich.

He is a woodworker.

“I make mostly bowls, vases and urns on a wood lathe,” Doud said.

He uses a lot of exotic, imported hardwoods in his work.

“I don’t use any stain or paint,” Doud said. “Different colors are primarily difference species – purpleheart, yellowheart, oak and walnut. I love the different woods. It’s a great challenge and I am really sort of addicted to it. I like making them."

Doud started woodworking as a hobby several years ago.

“I have things in a couple of different art galleries up in northern Wisconsin,” he said. “We spend a lot of our summers in Wisconsin.”

Part of what he does involves cutting wood into segments, often with angled edges, then gluing the pieces together to form rings or other shapes.

“This process, called segmenting, requires immaculate attention to detail,” Doud said. “You don’t want to have any gaps in between pieces of wood. Making the pieces requires a lot of patience and care.”