Hazel Crest – Hazelnut Parade
Homewood Disposal and our recycling mascot, Wendy the Waste Truck, had a blast cruising the streets of Hazel Crest this weekend. We’ve been picking up trash and recycling in this nearby Village for many years. This time our slow roll through Hazel Crest wasn’t to pick up bins, we were part of a unique parade that winds through the residential neighborhood! The annual Hazelnut parade kicked off at 10 am on Saturday, August 6th from Highlands Elementary School in Hazel Crest, Illinois.
This community centered parade made its way through the Hazel Crest neighborhood as people stood in front of their homes waving and cheering. That’s right, a parade that comes to you! The parade ends at the Village Municipal Center Grounds and the Hazelnut Festival, where live music and food cap off the day. The festival is a day full of good company, good food, games, arts, crafts and entertainment appropriate for the whole family.
Hazel Crest has been around a while. Initially, the area now known as Hazel Crest was a farming community called South Harvey. In 1900, the community was named Hazel Crest due to the many hazelnut bushes growing nearby. Today Hazel Crest has a population of 14,200.
Where exactly is Hazel Crest? The village is bordered by Markham to the north, Harvey to the northeast, East Hazel Crest to the east, Homewood to the southeast, Flossmoor to the south and Country Club Hills to the west.
What on earth is a Hazelnut?
Hazelnuts were originally named Filberts until the English changed it’s name. Hazelnuts were sacred in China around 3000 BC. The Greeks claimed that hazelnuts could cure chronic coughing, the cold, and baldness. You can still cook with hazelnuts today! The hazelnut is unique in that it blooms and pollinates in the middle of winter. The nuts mature during the summer months, turning from green to shades of hazel, and are harvested in the fall after they drop to the ground.