Longtime St. Charles volunteer Darlene Riebe named grand marshal of Electric Christmas Parade

Community volunteer Darlene Riebe has been announced as the grand marshal for this year’s Electric Christmas Parade in St. Charles.

The St. Charles Business Alliance and the Events Committee are organizing the Electric Christmas Parade, which will step off on Main Street in downtown St. Charles at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 26. The event is sponsored by St. Charles Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram.

The Electric Christmas Parade is part of St. Charles Holiday Homecoming, a two-day event that begins at 5 p.m. Nov. 25 with the Lighting of the Lights Ceremony, sponsored by Solutions Networking.

Riebe has been a resident of St. Charles since 1978. She worked at the St. Charles Area Chamber of Commerce for 20 years, starting as the welcome hostess and later becoming the membership director.

Currently, she is an Ambassador of the Chamber. Riebe also held the position as fundraising coordinator at the Lazarus House until her retirement in 2020.

Since 1990, Riebe has been dedicated in her involvement with St. Charles parades and festivals. She has been involved in every St. Charles St. Patrick’s and Holiday Parade since 1999, either as the organizer or on the parade committee.

She was instrumental in continuing the St. Patrick’s Parade after it was cancelled and the transitioning of the Holiday Parade into the nighttime event it is today. Riebe expressed what it is that has kept her motivated to stay involved with St. Charles events for so long.

“Because I want to see the smiles on the children’s faces,” she said in a news release from the St. Charles Business Alliance. “That’s why I do what I do.”

In 2016, Riebe was awarded the Charlemagne Award – an award that recognizes individuals who demonstrate what it means to give back to the community. Along with all her efforts in the St. Charles parades and festivals, she is currently on the board of the St. Charles History Museum and is the incoming President of the St. Charles Kiwanis.

Other sponsors for this year’s Holiday Homecoming event include The Pride Stores, Audi Exchange of St. Charles, @Properties Christie’s International Real Estate, Hotel Baker, Christ Community Church, McGrath Honda, Premier Living Properties, Trotter and Associates Inc., McNally’s Heating & Cooling, 93 Octane Brewery, and St. Charles Plastic Surgery.

For more information on the Electric Christmas Parade and the St. Charles Holiday Homecoming, go to stcholidayhomecoming.com. Any additional questions can be directed to the St. Charles Business Alliance at 630-443-3967.