This year’s Buffalo Grove Days Parade took place under sunny skies with breezy temperatures in the lower 70-degree range along the neighborhood leading to Mike Rylko Community Park.
The Saturday lineup included 65 parade units. The 2025 parade grand marshal was recently retired Buffalo Grove Village Trustee Andrew “Andy” Stein.
“It’s been a pleasure serving the village and being a part of the Buffalo Grove Days committee for all these years,” Stein said on the parade route in the passenger seat of a golf cart.
Stein was recognized by the village with a proclamation presented last May 19 and signed by Buffalo Grove Village President Eric N. Smith.
Smith was also on the parade route, accompanied by friends and supporters.
“The Buffalo Grove Days Parade is one of my favorite events of the year,” Smith said. “It’s an opportunity to get out and witness the spirit of Buffalo Grove.
“It’s a great mix of community groups, businesses, and entertainment to bring our residents together and build pride,” Smith said.
Buffalo Grove Days, an annual event, took place from August 28 to September 1. The festival featured community tables, food, music, and games.
The carnival is traditionally a favorite spot to photograph for cell phone selfies at golden hour sunset lighting, and the mild weather this year did not disappoint shutterbugs.
Smith also added, “The future’s so bright,” in Buffalo Grove.
“We’ve got so many nice, new developments going on, the commercial and the residential,” Smith said.
“A lot of people want to move here,” Smith added. “It’s a great thing.”
A bright presence in this year’s parade was the oversized rainbow flag carried by volunteers with BG Pride, an organization also known as Buffalo Grove Pride.
Carolyn Pinta of Prairie View, director of the Pinta Pride Project, was among the helping hands carrying the Pride flag, along with friends from Lake County, including Mundelein.
Pinta is of the Adlai E. Stevenson High School Class of 1996 and has taught middle school Spanish for 26 years in Buffalo Grove. Pinta teaches at Twin Groves Middle School in Kildeer Countryside School District. 96.
Pinta asserts the visibility of the Pride flag is more important than ever for Lake County.
“I have a large Pride flag hanging proudly in my room,” Pinta said, “I am also one of two sponsors of our Acceptance Club where LGBTQ students and their allies gather for support.
“I have heard rumors that a nearby district has asked their teachers to remove any Pride items,” Pinta said.
Pinta discussed this possibility with Twin Groves school leadership. In recent years, conversations on the topic have included Lake County communities such as Lake Bluff, Highwood, Highland Park, Grayslake, and Libertyville.
A Woodland School District 50 (of Gurnee) spokesperson confirmed this was not occurring at their school district. Pioneer Press has also reached out to the Libertyville school districts as an unverified current town name being floated by claimants.
“I am happy to report that so far, my district continues to accept, allow, and encourage diversity, equity, and inclusion for all, including Pride flags in the classroom,” Pinta said. “I am certainly hoping it will stay that way.
“Of course, we all fear what may be coming down the line, but I do believe that if my school district has a say in it, that the flags will continue to fly,” Pinta said.
“It’s a very depressing thought to me to not be able to have this image of acceptance for all.”
Karie Angell Luc is a freelancer for Pioneer Press.
