Coal City High School prepares for fifth annual homecoming parade

Coal City High School is preparing for its fifth annual homecoming parade, known as Coaler Clue, scheduled for Friday, September 26. The parade will begin at 2:30 p.m. from the intersection of South Broadway and Spring Road and proceed north on Broadway to Carbon Street, ending at the Berst Center on Kankakee Street.

The event will feature the Marching Coaler Bands from both the high school and middle school, along with various clubs, organizations, and athletic teams from Coal City High School. Community businesses and churches are invited to participate for a $100 entry fee. However, political parties or candidates are not allowed in the parade, and only middle school band members under high school age may take part.

Parade entries must follow this year’s theme of Clue/Murder Mystery and be appropriate for a school setting. Any entry deemed inappropriate by school administration may be removed from the lineup.

Safety rules include prohibiting candy or items being thrown from vehicles—these can only be handed out by walkers—and requiring drivers to operate their vehicles responsibly. Participants are not allowed to get off floats or vehicles once the parade starts; if riding in a pickup truck, tailgates must remain closed and standing is discouraged.

Participants are responsible for cleaning up any garbage left behind on school property or elsewhere after the event.

Staging will take place in the high school tennis court parking lot at Division Street and Carbon Hill Road. Vehicles and floats can arrive as early as 7 a.m., with arrangements possible for earlier drop-offs if coordinated with club sponsors. All entries must be ready by 2 p.m., with units leaving the high school at 2:15 p.m. to reach the start of the route.

High school clubs, organizations, and teams need to arrange their own vehicles and drivers for participation.

A parade entry form is available via QR code in an attached graphic; entries are due by 3 p.m. on Wednesday, September 17. Businesses should send their participation fee to Coal City High School Student Council, Allison Peterson (co-sponsor), at 655 W. Division St., Coal City, IL 60416; checks should be made payable to Coal City High School Student Council.

Questions can be directed to [email protected].

"The community is encouraged to celebrate homecoming by participating and attending the parade."

Coal City High School is part of Coal City Community Unit School District 1, which serves Grundy and Will counties through several schools including Coal City Early Childhood Center, Elementary School, Intermediate School, Middle School, and High School (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). According to state data reported by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), District 1 employs 153 teachers earning an average salary of $69,297; nearly four out of five teachers are women (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). The district’s student body is predominantly White (86.9 percent), with smaller percentages identifying as Hispanic (9.6 percent), Black (0.6 percent), or Asian (0.6 percent) (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). In fiscal year 2020, spending per student was $21,619 across a total budget of $47 million (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).