Patriotic fun prevails in Grand Detour despite rain delay

GRAND DETOUR — Jim Ross knew he had to up his game for Grand Detour’s seventh annual golf cart parade. After all, last year’s event had a record-setting 70 entrants.

This year’s plan for Ross, who organizes and runs the event with the help of his wife Connie, involved spiffy new “star-spangled” attire and even his own homegrown goatee to complete his portrayal of Uncle Sam.

But what he didn’t plan on was Mother Nature tossing a very wet blanket on the planned Saturday evening event, forcing a one-day delay to Sunday.

“We tried to get the word out when it poured yesterday,” Connie said. “We don’t have as many entries as last year’s, though.”

Thirty units still turned out to trek around the village of around 350 residents – some in tricked-out golf carts, others in all-terrain vehicles with red, white and blue ribbons, some in go-karts and on bikes with red, white and blue tassels, and one entry pulling an impromptu bar band complete with drums and a guitar.

Connie even got in on the wardrobe fun this year by wearing star-covered socks that paired very patriotically with her red, white and blue attire.

The parade assembled in the parking lot of the John Deere Historic Site where Jim and Connie both perused the entries, chatting with their drivers and riders, before the official start of the parade at 7 p.m.

Many Grand Detour residents not partaking in the event with a vehicle opted to watch the parade from their homes or moved chairs or blankets to the side of the streets in an attempt to catch candy from the entries.

Mark and Linda Downey, still the reigning Cart Couple (again unofficially), followed their 2024 entry of “Red, White and Moo” with “Beary Proud to be an American”. Past entries for the Downeys have included “Red, Great White and Blue Shark” complete with big googly eyes and “Grand Detour Fire Quacker” with a big yellow duck plopped firmly on the roof.

This year the Downeys’ 1987 Yamaha golf cart was decorated with plenty of color-themed Fourth of July options – and a lot of Teddy bears.

Linda handed out Teddy Grahams along the parade route for that special “Downey touch.”

“We just like to have fun,” she said laughing.

Sandi Wadsworth was this year’s honorary parade marshal.

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Jim Ross (Uncle Sam) and his wife, Connie (seated), lead the 7th Annual Grand Detour Golf Cart Parade on Sunday, July 6 as it passes by the John Deere Historic Site. (Earleen Hinton)