Kane Homecoming Parade and Bonfire is Cancelled Unless a Solution is Found

KASD (Kane Area School District) Principal Todd Stanko was recently informed that the Kane Area Chamber of Commerce is no longer going to coordinate the Homecoming Parade or the bonfire in September.

He explained during KASD Board of Directors

Regular Meeting on Thursday that usually, the Chamber of Commerce is the one that gets the permits to shut down Fraley Street in Kane. They get the location for the bonfire and the Kane Volunteer Fire Department gets the bonfire going for the kids.

Stanko explained that it is not a school-sponsored event. He said he is nervous due to the possibility of an incident (falling, fight, or burn) and is looking at the Homecoming Parade from a legal standpoint of the liabilities if the KASD does take it over.

“I’m also looking at the fact that I’m going to get crucified if we don’t have a parade and a bonfire,” Stanko said.

During the meeting, he asked the board of directors for advice.

“I don’t know how to proceed,” Stanko said.

Stanko added that student council has a big role in the float and at the moment a student council advisor is not available. He said he does not have anyone that he can sit down with and talk logistics.

“This is going to be a huge undertaking,” Stanko said.

The board of directors discussed options, such as rerouting the parade so they could have the Homecoming Parade without the need for a permit. It was suggested by Director John Ball to ask the fire department if they have a suggestion as to where to have the bonfire.

Director Fred Lorenzo suggested getting the Mayor of the Kane Borough, the Kane Borough Council, and the Kane Police Department together to discuss a way to come up with a solution to have the Homecoming Parade and the bonfire.

The President of the Kane Area Chamber of Commerce, Jillian Chittester, attended the meeting that evening to speak on behalf of the chamber regarding the comments made about the Homecoming Parade and bonfire. Chittester stated that she went to the meeting to fully communicate the transition of the Homecoming Parade from a chamber-organized event to a school event.

“We value our working relationship with the Kane Area School District and will continue to support each other’s efforts for the efficiency of our organizations and the betterment of our community,” Chittester said.

Janet Bard, who attended the board meeting, talked about what other areas are doing to draw in money and to keep money in their local communities. Bard asked for suggestions to bring in money and how to keep the money in the Kane Community.

Bard asked if a 2020 Pumpkin Walk would be acceptable with the PTO Department and suggested using glow in the dark for painting pumpkins.

Moving on to Bard's next question, she asked if children could be introduced to coding with such careers often having a hefty salary. Principal Todd Stanko said children are exposed to

coding beginning in 6th grade.

The KASD Board talked about the live recordings of the Work Session Meetings and the Regular Board Meetings. Board President Linda Anderson said there are very few views of the recorded videos on the website. She asked the board if they thought they should continue to record them. The board

discussed the possibility of a low view count being caused by the videos being removed online immediately after the meeting. The board agreed that a longer life span on the KASD website may help the videos receive more views. The KASD Board of Directors decided to leave the recordings on the site for an extended period of time until further notice.