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LaGrange Park girl wins Pet Parade theme contest
Molly McElligott, 11, of LaGrange Park had the winning entry in a contest to select the theme for the La Grange Pet Parade.
Updated: March 25, 2013 1:19AM
LA GRANGE — A fifth-grader has submitted the winning entry for the theme of the 67th annual La Grange Pet Parade June 1.
Molly McElligott, who attends St. Francis Xavier School in La Grange, suggested Miles of Smiles on Parade! as the launching point for decorating floats, costumes and pets.
“I was wearing a shirt with a smiley face that day, and I thought of Miles of Smiles on Parade,” Molly remembered. “My dad thought it was a good idea.”
The 11-year-old LaGrange Park resident will get to ride and wave from a convertible as a junior grand marshal in the parade. She laughed when asked if she was practicing her parade wave yet.
“I was super surprised to find out I won,” Molly said. “When I read the email, I was freaking out I was so excited.”
Molly said she’s marched in the Pet Parade twice, once for her school and the other time as part of the AYSO soccer organization. She said she looks forward to riding in the convertible and hearing the cheers of her parents, Kelly and Drew, her brother, Ryan, 8, and sister Tess, 4.
The contest was open to kindergarten through sixth-grade students in La Grange and surrounding communities.
