Sauk Valley’s Fiesta Day Parade route detailed, starting point moved one block north

ROCK FALLS – The starting point for the Fiesta Day Parade scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 14, has been modified, Rock Falls Police Chief David Pilgrim said.

Because of a gas main replacement project around 10th Street and Avenue A in Rock Falls, the parade will begin at 1 p.m. at First Avenue and East Ninth Street. This location is one block north of the parade’s usual starting point. The parade staging area will be at East Ninth and East 10th streets.

Parade participants should contact parade organizers for more instructions if needed.

To allow larger parade entries sufficient space to make the turn from East Ninth Street onto the parade route, spectators will not be permitted near the street at the northeast corner of First Avenue and Ninth Street near O’Reilly Auto Parts. Barriers will be placed there to keep spectators safe.

First Avenue, which is Route 40, will be closed to all traffic from 10th Street in Rock Falls to the Rock River starting at 12:45 p.m.

Traffic control signs, police officers and public works personnel will manage the road closures and direct traffic around the parade route. Do not drive around or move barricades. The Avenue G bridge will remain open for traffic traveling north into Sterling. Westbound traffic on Dixon Avenue must detour south on Avenue D to East 11th Street.

Drivers are asked to exercise caution when traveling around the parade route and staging areas, and to allow for more time to reach their destinations, as some delays are expected.