'We want to encourage people to come down as early as 2 p.m. Saturday,' said Genevieve Kirk, executive director of the Champaign Center Partnership that hosts the event, ticking off a list of pre-parade activities including live music, visits with Santa and a kids' scavenger hunt. CHAMPAIGN — With no rain and temperatures in the low 50s, organizers are predicting this year's Christie Clinic Parade of Lights will draw its biggest crowd yet. "It's been growing every year, so I expect a great turnout," said Genevieve Kirk, executive director of the Champaign Center Partnership that hosts the event, which brought more than 5,000 to the downtown area last year. read more