Enjoy Illinois will be part of the Rose Parade

Posted on December 29, 2022
For the first time, Enjoy Illinois is entering a float in the Rose Parade. (Graphic: Illinois Office of Tourism)

By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – People who watch the Tournament of Roses parade Jan. 2 – in person or on tee vee – should get a hankering to visit Illinois, if the state’s Office of Tourism has its way.

For the first time, Enjoy Illinois is entering a float in the Rose Parade. At one end: a Lincoln bust. At the other end: the Garden of the Gods. There will also be a real waterfall and a real American Idol finalist: Illinois native Grace Kinstler, who will perform.

“We’ve been looking for new ways that we can put Illinois on a national stage from a tourism perspective,” said Illinois tourism spokesman Daniel Thomas. “When you think of all the pent-up demand for travel and tourism, people across the country are incredibly excited by getting out and experiencing new destinations.”

From Lincoln sites to the attractions of Chicago to Route 66 to the wineries and natural beauty of Southern Illinois, the float presents as its theme the slogan for Enjoy Illinois: “The Middle of Everything.”

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]

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