Rockford Looks Amazing in ‘Stroll on State’ Video From RACVB

A  promotional video released by the Rockford Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (RACVB) recapping the most recent "Stroll on State" shows Rockford in a really beautiful light.

I was pretty bummed-out when scheduling conflicts along with a bout of the flu kept my family and me from attending Stroll on State in 2017. It's an event that we look forward to every year--and, looking at the numbers, so do many of you.

My partner Joe Dredge ran down some of the numbers for Stroll on State:

• 7,278 guests utilized park and ride shuttles
• 4,200 children visited Santa Claus
• 3,242 s'mores were eaten
• 1,889 people volunteered
• 954 people ran or walked in the Dasher 5K
• 794 letters written to Santa noting their Christmas wishes
• 137 rehersal hours for The Studio's performance of James and The Giant Peach
• 38 characters, 13 floats, 11 drummers and 2 large-scale balloons were in the parade
• 82,500 people, a 10 percent increase over the 2016 total

If you missed it, or even if you were there and want to see a different perspective on the day's activities, this video gives you a great look. And, Rockford looks fantastic in it, too: