Gatties to lead Catfish Days parade

When this year's Wilmington Catfish Days parade steps off at 1 p.m. Sunday, two of the people who helped preserve one of the city's most recognizable Route 66 landmarks will be leading the way.
The Catfish Days Committee has named Sharon and Jerry Gatties as the 2026 Catfish Days Parade grand marshals in conjunction with this year's theme, "Cruisin' Route 66," celebrating the 100th anniversary of America's famed Mother Road.
The committee has also selected Cathy Thomas as honorary grand marshal, recognizing the Wilmington woman whose childhood imagination forever became part of Route 66 history.
As a fifth-grade student in 1966, Thomas won a community contest to name the towering fiberglass spaceman standing outside the Launching Pad Restaurant. Inspired by NASA's Gemini space program, she suggested the name "Gemini Giant," a title that has endured for six decades and become recognized by Route 66 travelers from around the world.
The Gatties' connection to the Gemini Giant runs even deeper.
Sharon is the daughter of John and Bernice Korlec, who purchased the restaurant in 1960. Around 1965, the business became the Launching Pad, and the 28-foot fiberglass giant was erected as a whimsical roadside attraction to entice hungry motorists traveling Route 66.
Gatties practically grew up beneath the giant's watchful gaze.
She worked at the restaurant after school and on weekends before she and her husband, Jerry, assumed ownership of the family business in 1986. Together, they operated the iconic Route 66 restaurant for more than two decades before retiring in 2008.
Over those years, they welcomed countless visitors from across the country and around the world who made the Launching Pad a must-see stop along Historic Route 66, with nearly everyone pausing to pose for a photograph beside the towering spaceman.
The couple's lifelong connection to the landmark was evident in March 2023, when they stood among hundreds of spectators watching the Gemini Giant lifted from his longtime pedestal after the Joliet Area Historical Society purchased the statue with grant funding and transferred ownership to the City of Wilmington.
"It was very bittersweet seeing him go," Sharon Gatties said at the time as the giant was carefully removed after nearly 60 years. "It seems that's where he really should always remain."
Although emotional, the Gatties were grateful the landmark would remain in Wilmington rather than leave the community altogether.
Following its restoration, the Gemini Giant was installed at its new home near the entrance to South Island Park along Historic Route 66, ensuring future generations can continue enjoying one of Illinois' most photographed roadside attractions.
The committee said honoring the Gatties and Thomas perfectly complements this year's Route 66 centennial celebration.
Together, they represent two of the people most closely tied to the history of one of Wilmington's best-known attractions — the family that helped make the Launching Pad a destination for generations of travelers and the young girl whose winning contest entry gave the giant the name recognized around the world.