Talk about a parade for all ages.

On one hand, there was Portage, Indiana’s Nyomi Hamilton, 2, who attended her first Homewood Fourth of July Parade on Friday, smiling and proudly waving her U.S. flag.

Compare that with the parade’s grand marshal, Mary Cantway, who is 110.

From 2 to 110 and almost every age in between, the event had it all.

The parade was scheduled to have 50 entries and thousands of people came out on a humid cloudy day. Some participants handed out freeze pops to parade goers.

Hamilton doesn’t have much history to draw on, only being 2, but her mother, Katie Lassen, grew up in Homewood. Lassen not only watched the parade when she was younger, she marched in it as a member of the Homewood-Flossmoor band.

She and Nyomi watched as Nyomi’s father, Justin Hamilton, march in this year’s parade.

Lassen’s family owned Lassen’s Tap in Homewood so this was a homecoming for Katie.

“My parents passed, but they were a huge part of the community,” Lassen said. “I wanted to experience this parade with my daughter for her first time and I wanted to go back to my roots to the town I grew up in.”

Cantway has spent close to 70 years in town after moving from the Englewood neighborhood.

She received some attention before the parade. State Sen. Napoleon Harris III read a state proclamation in her honor and chatted with her for a few minutes.“You deserve every proclamation you can get when you are 110 years old,” Harris said. “She’s lived a great life and is still living a great life. I wish her many, many more years.”

Harris said he picked up some words of wisdom from Cantway, who will be 111 in September.

“She told me to stay active and to hang around younger people to stay young,” he said. “I’m happy to see her. This is history, as they say.”

Parade officials were hoping the rain would stay away. Cantway was hoping the sun would stay covered by the clouds.

Both got their way.

“I didn’t know if I was going to like this or not,” Cantway said. “I didn’t want the hot sun to come beating down on me. But they named me grand marshal because of my age. I never planned on living this long.

“I just get up every morning and say, ‘I better get going.’’’

Cantway said her health is still good and, even though she uses a walker and wheelchair, she hasn’t been suffering from any aches or pains as of late.

She said she has come to the Homewood parade in the past as a spectator and loves the town.

Jim West, the used car manager at Chevrolet of Homewood, was in charge of driving Cantway during the parade.

“I love it. It’s fantastic,” West said. “We just met today and I’m very impressed.”

Also riding in the car was Doug Benzies, her 78-year-old nephew, who came from Plainfield to be a part of the festivities.

Benzies was not one of the younger people in the parade, but he is still 32 years younger than his aunt.

“I have a ways to go to catch her,” Benzies said. “She’s unbelievable, she really is. She still has her mind and physically is a little challenged, but she’s unbelievable.”

Meanwhile, 19-year-old Preston Hayes, of O’Fallon, walked the parade route as a very skinny Santa Claus as the Calvary Assembly of God Church in Flossmoor had a Christmas in July theme.

Hayes is an intern at the church and is staying in this area all summer.

“I’ve never done something like this before,” he said of playing Santa. “They asked me to do it. It was the theme for the year, and I just tried to play a perfect role.

“We had this theme for fun.”

After his stint in Flossmoor, Hayes is heading to Called College in Carlinville and he hopes to do missionary work after that.

For now, he is working with the children and youth ministries at the Flossmoor church.

“I do pretty much whatever they need me to do,” he said.

Including playing Santa on a hot day.

Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.