The Church of Saint Mary and School of Saint Mary claimed the Vinnie Dolan Commander Trophy as the best overall entry in the 118th Lake Forest Day Parade on Wednesday, Aug. 5.
American Legion McKinlock Post 264, which organizes and judges the annual parade, announced the full results and praised the 2026 edition as the best parade ever. Lake Forest Open Lands won the Most Original award.
The route was new. For the first time in its 118-year run, the parade headed east on Deerpath Road through the Central Business District, as we reported on Lake Forest Day, concentrating spectators in front of Market Square shops and downtown merchants. The route began at Deerpath Road and Oakwood Avenue, with the parade stepping off at 10 a.m.
Lake Forest Open Lands Association, which stewards more than 900 acres of native landscapes in the Lake Forest area, earned the Most Original nod. The organization recently secured a $5.75 million federal NOAA grant to restore a ravine-bluff ecosystem along the Lake Michigan shoreline.
Here are the full category results:
Church/School: 1st Place, Lake Forest College; 2nd Place (tie), Lake Forest School Districts 67 & 115 and Lake Forest Country Day School.
Charity/501(c)(3): 1st Place, Fill a Heart 4 Kids; 2nd Place, Lake County Shrine Club.
Civic/Fraternal: 1st Place, Lake County Shrine Club; 2nd Place, League of Women Voters, Lake Forest/Lake Bluff.
Drill Teams: 1st Place, New Generation Fancy Drill Team; 2nd Place, Elite Striders Drill Team & Drum Corp.
Neighborhood: 1st Place, Lake Forest High School Class of 1976.
Youth: 1st Place, CROYA (City of Lake Forest); 2nd Place, City of Lake Forest Recreation Dept.
Lake County Shrine Club was the only group to place in two categories, finishing first in Civic/Fraternal and second in Charity.
McKinlock Post 264, located at 801 N. McKinley Rd., is named for 1st Lt. George Alexander McKinlock Jr., believed to be the first Lake Forester killed in action during World War I. The post was founded in 1919 and has organized Lake Forest Day since its early years.
