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Each year, the Grundy County Corn Festival committee chooses one community in the county to feature and, from that community, comes the grand marshal for the parade on Sunday of the festival.
The 2017 community chosen was Coal City and when Grundy County Corn Festival manager Sarah Carey heard the words Coal City, she said she knew that they had to ask resident Megan Bugg to be the grand marshal.
“The entire county has gotten behind this girl and followed her blog. The radio station and Morris Herald-News covers her story. With the theme being ‘Grundy County, small town living at its best,’ and knowing how Coal City got right behind her when she got sick, she was the right choice.”
Megan is currently a junior at Coal City High School, where her father, Kent Bugg resides as the Superintendent of Coal City Community School District Unit 1. Megan lives with her family; father, Kent; mother, Deb; and sister, Kenzi.
The past three years, Megan as battled with Stage 4 alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma cancer. She has been in and out of treatments and currently has a few weeks to go with her current treatment. After, she will have scans to determine the success of the treatments.
“So far, everything looks good. I am feeling good, just tired sometimes,” Megan said.
During the parade on Oct. 1, Megan and her family will ride behind the color guard in the parade and wave to the crowd. After she reaches the end, she can sit on a platform and watch the remainder of the two-hour parade with her family. She will also receive a plaque, take pictures with the corn festival board and has been invited to all of the shows.
Carey said Megan will make history as grand marshal of the parade.
“There has never been this young of a grand marshal in the Grundy County Corn Festival. September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month so we want to give her a platform because she wants to be an advocate for childhood cancer,” Carey said.
Megan said she finds that people tend to focus on more well known cancers and forget that children have cancer as well.
“My goal is to get more attention to childhood cancers and make people aware of the lack of funding. More people pay attention to other known cancers. I want people to know that many kids suffer and are dying everyday, including two of my friends,” Megan said.
Many people in the county have heard the phrase “Team Megan” which came about after her father created a blog to keep people posted on his daughters condition. Now, she has thousands of followers and supporters.
“I never expected that many people to send love, support and prayers. This is a big part of what keeps me going each day,” Megan said.
Megan also has a new adventure as she has partnered with a company called Ivory Ella and designed a childhood cancer awareness long sleeved t-shirt, a hat, two bracelets and an elephant stuffed animal.
She said a woman sent her a package designed for kids with cancer and Ivory Ella had donated a shirt which was in the package. Megan took a picture of her in the shirt and sent it to the woman, who then passed it along to the company.
“I think since I was older they asked me to help design the back of the shirt. Proceeds go to Boston Children’s Hospital,” Megan said.
Megan said she has never done anything like this before and said, “This will be a fun experience and I hope to get awareness out there.”
Grundy County Corn Festival Parade
Sunday, Oct. 1, 2 p.m.
Parade starts at Washington and Fulton Streets
East to Liberty then north
Liberty to Depot Street to Chapin Park