It has endured bitter cold. It has survived rain, snow, warmth and even a pandemic.

On Friday, beginning at 6:30 p.m., the 40th annual Bradley Lighted Christmas Parade once again will roll along West Broadway Street in the heart of Bradley.

A tradition started by the Bradley Association of Commerce & Industry as a way of promoting Bradley retailers, the parade has most certainly lived on far longer than anyone could have imagined, dating back to 1985.

From its early years under the BACI, its handoff to the Bradley Chamber of Commerce and now under the direction of the village of Bradley, the parade has become as reliable as Santa Claus.

While many can be credited for the sustainability and success of the annual event, perhaps no person was more crucial to its life than Gail Schultz, a former Bradley employee who coordinated it for almost 20 years.

Now retired from the village, Schultz said that oddly enough she never actually saw the parade during all those years until the so-called “reverse parade,” which was due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At that time, the parade stood still, and vehicles drove past the lineup of floats and bands.

“This parade could have ended when the chamber ended,” Schultz said of the region’s transition to the Kankakee County Chamber of Commerce. “But this is important. It just takes a lot of worker bees.”

Herself included.

Mrs. Claus?

Schultz admitted that there were some years she questioned again taking on the parade planning, but she always took on the Mrs. Claus role.

“There were moments,” she said. “But the biggest moment of relief was when the first vehicle pulled out onto Broadway. Then you know it’s a go.”

The parade is now a Bradley tradition.

Mayor Mike Watson is well aware.

“It’s a great tradition. ... It’s a priority to continue it,” he said.

He turns the logistics over to staff – primarily Kym Nelson. She makes sure everyone is in place and that there is always a Master Jack Frost and Miss Merry Christmas.

Former 17-year Bradley Trustee and Kankakee County Recorder of Deed Lori Gadbois also spent numerous years coordinating it.

“This is just Bradley’s way of bringing people to Broadway (the business district). It was about showcasing Broadway,” she Gadbois. “This is about community pride, community loyalty.”

The parade’s arrival has become something akin to the unofficial start of the region’s holiday season.

Gadbois said most communities offer some festival or event that the entire region celebrates.

Momence has the Gladiolus Festival. Herscher has the Labor Day Parade. Kankakee has the Merchant Street MusicFest. Bourbonnias has the Friendship Festival. Manteno has Oktoberfest. The list goes on.

“It’s community pride and joy,” Gadbois said. “It’s how a community presents itself. I’m not surprised by [the Christmas parade’s] success.”

‘It brings happiness’

Lisa Dugan, a former state representative and a Bradley-Bourbonnais chamber leader, was a longtime parade participant.

“It’s a time for being happy,” she said of the season and the parade. “This parade just kicks off the season. The idea for the parade was to help kick off the holiday season, but it just continued to grow.”

She labeled the event as a Bradley highlight.

“You can tell by the number of participants that people want this event to stay. It’s a Bradley tradition. So many kids grow up with this event. It’s about generations enjoying this.

“It’s cool. It’s a real community event. It brings happiness.”

Of that, there is no question. But it’s a lot of work.

Schultz recalled those days of planning and keeping an eye on the weather forecast.

“Do I miss all the planning? I got over it,” she said.

This year, on Friday, Dec. 5, the annual Bradley Christmas Parade is themed “A Christmas Jubilee on Gingerbread Lane.

It steps off at 6:30 p.m. down West Broadway Street, traveling from Forest Avenue to Washington Avenue.