Stroll on State in Rockford will go on in the snow – with a few changes
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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UPDATE: Stroll on State announced Saturday morning that the event will now end at 7 p.m. See more HERE.
ROCKFORD — Stroll on State will go on Saturday despite several inches of snowfall expected to pile up around the city over the course of the day.
However, there will be some shifts to the annual holiday festival’s footprint, and the drone show will be rescheduled. The parade is still on and fireworks will still close out the evening. The Dasher Dash 5K runs at noon before the festivities begin.
This year’s Stroll is slated for 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. around downtown. The event was held with sub-zero temperatures last year, and it has dealt with rain in years past, but this will be the first held with a major snowfall event.
“Our team has been working closely with the city of Rockford to prepare for this winter weather,” said John Groh, president and CEO of GoRockford, which organizes the event. “Stroll on State is a tradition built on joy, community, and resilience. Santa delivers in the snow, and so will Stroll — if anything, it adds to the wonder of the day. We encourage everyone to plan ahead, dress in layers, and come enjoy the first snowy Stroll on State.”
The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch. Meteorologist Mark Henderson, who is providing GoRockford with the latest winter storm updates, is forecasting six to 10 inches of snow.
“I do think that there are going to be a couple areas that are going to end up closer to a foot,” Henderson told the Rock River Current. “It’s going to be a pretty steady snow that will add up very slowly over time.”
Snowfall is expected to start around midnight.
“By the time we wake up tomorrow morning we’re going to probably have an inch or so on the ground. In total we’re looking at two to four inches or so by noontime, and then between a half inch to an inch per hour between noontime and midnight,” Henderson said. “It’s not going to come all in bursts here where it’s just going to be blinding and crippling. It’s going to be that steady, almost a pretty kind of snow that just comes steadily over time.”
GoRockford has a team of volunteer shovelers who will be keeping sidewalks clear. They’re also working with the city for plowing of sidewalks and to clear roads and parking lots as best as possible. They’re presalting the festival footprint and will be dropping more salt throughout the event.
“It’s going to make the event even more magical, so don’t miss out on Stroll,” said Kristen Paul, GoRockford’s executive vice president.
Here’s a breakdown of what to know with this year’s Stroll.
Stroll on State Parade is on
The snowfall isn’t expected to affect the parade.
The parade starts at 2 p.m. Saturday on North Main Street just north of Elm Street and proceeds south to West State Street. It then turns east on State Street, crossing the bridge over the Rock River and ending at North Second St.
Drone show will be rescheduled
GoRockford said the drone show will need to be rescheduled because of the snowfall.
“Think of it as giving our high-tech holiday elves a rain check, because water and technology don’t exactly mix,” GoRockford wrote in a weather update.
A new date will be announced at a future time.
Additional parking opens
Additional on-site parking options will be available after the Dasher Dash 5K concludes.
The municipal surface lots outside of Veterans Memorial Hall and across from the RPL Nordlof Center, which previously would have been home to markets and activities, will now remain open for parking.
North Main Street and Wyman Street will be open until near Mulberry Street to allow vehicles to get into surface parking lots. Wyman is open slightly further south to allow people to access the parking deck near the Luther Center.
Memorial Hall remains open and will host performances by Rockford Dance Company, Ms.LeMasters School of Dance, and FAB Dance.
Activities that were in those parking lots have been moved elsewhere in the festival grounds (more on those moves continued below).
Other parking options
Parking is restricted at the parking garages at the State and Main streets parking deck and the Elm and Wyman streets parking deck.
There is some available street parking, as well as public surface parking and parking garage space at the following locations:
- $5 event parking at the Concourse parking garage at Chestnut and Church streets, across from the BMO Center
- $5 event parking at the Main Street North parking deck across from the Coronado Theatre
- Surface parking at the Sports Factory, South Madison and Walnut streets
- Surface parking at Walnut and South Madison streets behind Maximum Performance and the old Capri building
- Surface parking at Riverview Ice House, 324 N. Madison St.
- Covered parking at the Brewhouse district pavilion at Madison and Prairie streets
- Surface parking at Park Avenue and North Wyman Street
- Surface parking at 500 Walnut Street, behind Social and The Office Nite Club
There are also several private lots available for a fee.
What if I have to park further away?
There are shuttles offered through the Rockford Mass Transit District starting at 1 p.m. They run every 20 minutes at three locations:
- Bethesda Covenant Church, 2101 E. State St.
- Crusader Community Health, 1200 W. State St.
- YMCA, 200 Y Blvd.
The buses drop passengers off at Third and State streets. There are handicap accessible shuttles only at the YMCA site.
A musical stage is moving
The Silver Bell Stage, one of two stages that hosts music throughout the event, will move because of the snowfall.
Performers slated for the Silver Bell Stage will now perform under the covered awning in front of GoRockford’s offices at State and Main streets.
The Main Stage will run as planned near the BMO Center at North Main and Elm streets.
Music lineup:
(UPDATE: The late evening performances will be canceled as the event now ends at 7 p.m.)
| GoRockford stage | Main Stage |
|---|---|
| 3 p.m. Eli Parker | 3 p.m. The Lone Canary |
| 3:50 p.m. Dueling Pianos | x |
| 4:55 p.m. Nielsen Chorale Ancora Ensemble | 4:55 p.m. City First Band |
| x | 6 p.m. Tree lighting followed by drone show |
| 6:45 p.m. Rollin’ Whiskey | 6:45 p.m. City First Band |
| 7:50 p.m. Dueling Pianos | x |
Vendors on the move
Retail vendors that were scheduled to be at the Merry Market West location will now be under the Rockford City Market pavilion to provide shelter from the snow.
Merry Market West food vendors will move just south of State Street, bringing them closer to the tree lighting ceremony at Main and Elm streets.
Those moves leave the surface parking lots along Wyman near Veterans Memorial Hall and RPL Nordlof Center open for parking.
Snowmuch fun relocates
The Rockford Park District’s Snowmuch Fun activities will relocate to the lot behind CJ’s Lounge at East State and Madison streets.
The visits from Santa and s’mores station scheduled for outside Memorial Hall will shift to the 100 block of North Main Street.
Fireworks are still on
UPDATED:
Fireworks will be launched at 7 p.m. from the Jefferson Street bridge.
Viewers can see them anywhere on the festival grounds that has a view of the bridge.
The event will now end after the fireworks.
Where’s Santa?
There are several places to meet and get pictures with Santa.
- Photos with Santa west: In front of the RPL Nordlof Center, 118 N. Main St., Rockford.
- Photos with Santa east: In the lot next to Jimmy John’s, 308 E. State St.
- Sensory Santa experience: For families who benefit from a quieter experience, a sensory-friendly Santa visit will be held from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. inside the Rockford Public Library, 215 N. Wyman St.
- Letters to Santa: Drop off letters to Santa at City Hall, 425 E. State St.
Where to see the tree lighting
The annual tree lighting ceremony takes place at 6 p.m. at Main and Elm streets across from the BMO Center.
What roads are closed?
All roadways within the festival footprint are closed at 6 a.m. Saturday.
The footprint is bordered by Jefferson Street on the north, Church Street on the west, Chestnut/Walnut Street on the south and Third Street on the east.
- Motorists driving westbound will be directed over the Jefferson Street bridge. However, the bridge will be closed from 7:45 p.m. to 9 p.m. for the fireworks.
- Motorists driving eastbound will be directed across the Chestnut/Walnut Street bridge. That bridge will be closed to traffic from noon to 7 p.m. Detours will be posted.
- Main Street from Cedar Street north to Chestnut will be closed at 10 a.m. for the parade
- Third Street will be reduced to two lanes of travel from Walnut Street north to Jefferson Street from noon to 5 p.m.
Key events, locations
You can see a map of attractions, restrooms, parking options, the parade route and more above. Follow the link here to get a closer look.
Here’s a quick look at key events.
Noon: Dasher Dash 5K
2 p.m. Parade
(UPDATE: The fireworks now go at 7 p.m. and end the event.)
6 p.m. Tree lighting ceremony (Main and Elm streets)
8:30 p.m. Fireworks (Jefferson Street bridge)
Full listing of events and activities: strollonstate.com
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas
