Jarrett Payton and family announced as Grand Marshals for St. Charles Electric Christmas Parade

Jarrett Payton, son of the late Chicago Bears legend Walter Payton, and his family will serve as the Grand Marshal for the 2024 St. Charles Electric Christmas Parade on Saturday, Nov. 30, in downtown St. Charles.

The Electric Christmas Parade is part of St. Charles Holiday Homecoming, which is a two-day event that begins on Friday, Nov. 29, with a Lighting of the Lights Ceremony.

Payton and his family reside in St. Charles. Payton had a successful football career at the University of Miami, where he appeared in five major bowl games and received the Most Valuable Player of the 2004 Orange Bowl. Following his college career, Payton went on to play football professionally for teams including the Tennessee Titans, Montreal Alouettes and the Toronto Argonauts, according to a news release from the St. Charles Business Alliance.

Aside from his football career, Payton has also made exceptional contributions in the community through the Jarrett Payton Foundation that was started in 2011. The Jarrett Payton Foundation is committed to positively impacting the lives of children and adolescents by creating and providing programs that present them with a wide variety of opportunities and to help develop their leadership skills and enrich their lives. The signature program of the Jarrett Payton Foundation is “Project: No Bull” which is an in-school, anti-bullying program in order to help create and maintain safe environments for the youth, according to the release.

In 2015, Payton began his role as a sports reporter on WGN-TV, as well as co-anchor of GN Sports. Payton also has been involved in several business ventures, including his partnership in Flagship on the Fox Sports Bar and Dukes Northwoods in downtown St. Charles.

“St. Charles is a wonderful, growing city filled with fantastic businesses and extraordinary residents,” Payton said in the release. “I am honored to be named Grand Marshal of this exciting community tradition, and I encourage everyone to come out to help ring in the holiday season.”

For more information on the Electric Christmas Parade and the St. Charles Holiday Homecoming, visit www.stcholidayhomecoming.com. To find more information on the Jarrett Payton Foundation, visit www.jarrettpayton.org.