Wed. June 27, 2012
Chicago, IL -
PRIDEChicago, the organizers of the annual Chicago Pride Parade, announced the parade awards from the 200 registered entries at Sunday's parade.
Sidetrack won the 'Best All Around Float' category for their pride themed entry that included a giant octopus and seahorses.
Featuring a colorful balloon display spelling out "pride," Balloons by Tommy tied with Steve Quick Jewelers' same-sex marriage themed float for 'Best Business' entry.
"I'm incredibly honored to receive an award as this was my first time in the parade," Balloons by Tommy owner Tommy DeLorenzo told ChicagoPride.com. DeLorenzo's Chicago-based company was one of the few entries diverted from the parade route last year.
"I'm overwhelmed with the responses," he confessed. "I can not wait to top it next year."
The exuberant marchers from Gay, Lesbian, and Supporting Sailors (G.L.A.S.S.), the first military recognized LGBT support group at Great Lakes, shared the 'Best Organization' entry with Redmoon Theater.
Special mentions went to Hamburger Mary's "Wigs on Wheels" float for 'Most Colorful' entry and the National Gay Pilots Association for their uniformed pilots marching alongside a van that was decorated as an airplane.
The 43rd annual Chicago Pride Parade drew a record 850,000 people to the Uptown and Lakeview neighborhoods on Sunday afternoon.
Despite the record number of spectators, there were no reports of major problems. Last year police were overwhelmed by the crowds, which caused the parade to become disrupted resulting in a new parade route in 2012.
Richard Pfeiffer, parade coordinator, said the new length and route "really worked" and that the organizing committee has received mostly positive feedback.
A one-hour recap of the parade aired on ABC7 Chicago Sunday night featuring highlights from the parade.
The video is available at abc7chicago.com.
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Head to the local LGBTQ news, events, directory and people network at ChicagoPride.com