URBANA – "We Are One – 50 Years of Labor United" will be the theme of the annual AFL-CIO parade, to be held in conjunction with the annual Labor Day picnic Monday in Urbana.

The parade will begin at 10 a.m. at Illinois Street and Broadway Avenue, just south of Lincoln Square Village. It will continue south on Broadway Avenue, then east on Washington Street to Lierman Avenue.

Immediately after the parade, a community picnic will be held in Prairie Park, a few blocks east of Lierman Avenue on Washington. The festivities begin at 11 a.m. and end with a raffle drawing at 3:30 p.m.

Free hot dogs will be served. Free inflatable and interactive games, including big slides and a climbing wall, will be available for the children, and the Champaign Fire Department's safety house will be on hand.

The band Kilborne Alley will perform from noon to 3 p.m. At 2 p.m., the finals of the AFL-CIO softball tournament are scheduled.

The raffle features a first prize of $1,500. Other prizes include a Bose Wave radio/CD player, a getaway to St. Louis and a gift certificate to Jim Gould restaurant in downtown Champaign. Raffle tickets are $5 and can be bought that day or in advance from union members.

People going to Prairie Park can find parking at Prairie Elementary School or the Brookens Administrative Center, said Micheal Herbert, Labor Day committee chair for the AFL-CIO of Champaign County.

Bands from Rantoul, Urbana and Champaign Centennial high schools are slated to march in the parade. The grand marshal and recipient of the Gene Lynch Award for public service will be Chad Barringer, a member of Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 149.

Fliers will be delivered to houses along the parade route reminding residents about the event. Those with questions can contact Herbert at mherbert@ibew601.org or call 352-1741.

The lineup

— Champaign Exchange Club & Exchange Club of Urbana.

— American Legion Post 71 Color Guard.

— Iron Workers.

— Grand Marshal.

— United Way of Champaign County.

— Champaign Mayor Gerald Schweighart.

— United Association (Plumbers and Pipefitters) Local 149.

— UI Facilities & Services Fleet Operations.

— Champaign County Clerk Mark Shelden.

— Shriners Hi-Lo Wheelers.

— Rantoul High School band.

— Carpenters Local 44.

— St. John's Lutheran Church and School.

— AFSCME (State, County and Municipal Employees) 3700.

— Campus Faculty Association.

— Champaign County Democrats.

— Champaign Fire Fighters.

— District Council 58/Painters Local 363/Glasiers Local 1168.

— Glesco Electric.

— Centennial High School Band.

— AFSCME 900.

— Roofers Local 97.

— Girl Scout Troop 2551.

— IBEW (Electrical Workers) Local 1306.

— IATSE (Theatrical Stage Employees) Local 482.

— Illinois American Water.

— Illinois Competitive Cheerleading.

— Illinois Education Association.

— Socialist Forum.

— Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club.

— Central Illinois Jobs with Justice.

— Urbana High School board.

— IBEW (Electrical Workers) Local 601.

— OPCMIA (Plasterers and Cement Masons) No. 143.

— Teamsters Local 26.

— Laborers Local 703.

— Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District.