Winter storm turns Rockford holiday festival into ‘Snow on State’

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — The front of the Stroll on State parade typically belongs to the color guard and the grand marshals.

This year it belonged to three riding snowplows.

The first Stroll on State holiday festival to be held during a significant snow event went on amidst several inches of snowfall on Saturday that forced the event to reduce its footprint and cancel some of the traditional activities.

By the time the tree was lit at 6 p.m., which turned out to be the conclusion of the Stroll this year, GoRockford President and CEO John Groh was offering praise to the “hearty” and “resilient” celebrators who stayed through “Snow on State.”

“I know from standing at the parade start they were all excited about being in the parade,” said Julie Huber of GoRockford, who, along with Kristen Paul, leads the charge to organize the Stroll. “They did not care that it was absolutely snowing and cold. … Everyone who I saw in the parade had smiles on their faces. There was an excitement which helped me say this is why we do it.”

Whether or not the Stroll could go on with snow in the forecast was on organizers’ minds all week as they watched for updates and leaned on meteorologist Mark Henderson to provide the latest snow models.

But organizers said they faced multiple logistical problems that prevented rescheduling. Vendors, contractors, rentals of barricades, volunteer manpower, musicians, scheduling of police and other support was all slated for Nov. 29, and in many cases couldn’t be available on another day. The decision for GoRockford came down to canceling or going forward with a scaled back event.

Photos: Stroll on State 2025 rolls on through the snow in downtown Rockford

“We started by saying how much of the event could be put on,” Groh said. “But we would not have gone ahead with today if public works, police and fire were not on board. We would not have done it on our own without their support.”

In the end, fireworks were canceled at the last minute when the Iowa pyrotechnics company hired for the event faced significant delays in travel. The horse and carriage rides were also called off because of the conditions, and ice skating at the BMO Center was canceled due issues with staffing amid the snowy conditions. The drone show was canceled because the technology and snow don’t mix, but that could still be rescheduled for a future date. However, because of the authorization process for a drone show, rescheduling isn’t a quick turnaround.

“As the weather got worse, and the snow increased, we understand why vendors couldn’t get here,” Groh said.

For many of those who made it out to the event, the snow added to the feeling of downtown transforming into a winter wonderland.

“It was beautiful. That’s what made it for us,” said Jeffrey Peterson of Rockford, who attended with his fiancée, Cecelia Staab. “I know she’s having a lot of fun. She spent more time dancing than anything.”

Staab has come to Rockford after living in New Mexico and Arizona. She welcomed a snowy Christmas festival.

“I thought it made it more special because of the snow because it’s a Christmas parade,” she said. “I haven’t had that many snowy winters because I moved from warm weather.”

For Trevor and Tiffany Zumwalt, Stroll on State is a tradition they weren’t going to miss. They said their kids Tyler, 7, and Teagan, 4, love the event. Tyler was chanting “snow, snow, snow” as the Zumwalts answered a couple questions from the Rock River Current.

“I wish it would’ve snowed yesterday and then got cleaned up, but then the flurries were nice,” Trevor Zumwalt said. “They’re disappointed about the fireworks and the ice skating but you make due.”

Tiffany Zumwalt said the falling snowflakes added to the atmosphere of the parade.

“I think it’s magical. I love the snow,” she said.

Official attendance estimates, which come from an event analytics company using mobile device data, typically come out more than month after the event. But crowds were noticeably smaller.

“We’re upset that the downtown businesses aren’t going to be as supported because it’s Small Business Saturday and there aren’t as many people down here. So it’s sad for us,” Huber said. “But we also live in northern Illinois and think, ‘We can do this.’ We love snow here and we’ll just get it done.”

Despite snow throughout the day, the tree lighting ceremony had a people swarmed around the 40-foot tall blue spruce at Main and Elm streets.

“Every year we know here in Rockford that we have Stroll on State that we can all come together,” Mayor Tom McNamara said at the ceremony. “This really is to me what’s best about Rockford. It brings us all together, regardless of backgrounds, so that we can celebrate the holiday season and come together as one Rockford.”

Photos: Stroll on State 2025 rolls on through the snow in downtown Rockford

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