‘Irish flare' to be front and center Saturday at Naperville's St. Patrick's Day Parade
Saturday's West Suburban Irish Naperville St. Patrick's Day Parade in downtown Naperville is a true community event, featuring more than 3,000 participants and typically bringing out about 10,000 spectators.
But this year it will be marching on without its founding father, Kevin Dolan, who died Feb. 25 at age 86. The loss weighs heavy on their hearts, parade chair Rich Janor said, but the West Suburban Irish will present an event fitting of his memory.
'He started the parade back in 1993 and was also the founder of the West Suburban Irish organization,' Janor said.
'The first parade was just a small, four-block march from the VFW in town to Mill Street. Since that time, we'll have between 90 and 100 entries this year. It's definitely a tradition that our community looks forward to each year. But certainly, Kevin will be on our minds and in our hearts and in our prayers, as well as his family, as we approach this year's parade.'
This is Janor's second year chairing the event and he hopes he can live up to the legacy Dolan has left behind, he said.
'The parades have always been a fun, family-oriented, feel-good event, especially as spring is starting,' he said. 'It's kind of the official start of spring, maybe not on paper but at least in the community.'
The parade steps off at 10 a.m. Saturday at Naperville North High School at the corner of Mill Street and Ogden Avenue. From there it goes south on Mill Street and east on Jefferson Avenue through downtown before turning south onto Main Street to Aurora Avenue. It ends at Naperville Central High School at Webster and Porter avenues.
A celebration of Irish heritage and culture, there will be traditional Irish dance groups, bagpipe and drum bands, and West Suburban Irish entries promoting Irish Fest in September, Janor said.
St. Patrick himself is an annual staple of the parade as are the American Legion and VFW Color Guard, the Firefighters Highland Guard of Naperville and the St. Patrick's Residence, he said. Businesses, politicians, youth sports teams, scout troops and community groups also will be walking the route.
'Some of my favorite entries are the traditional Irish dance groups — the McNulty Irish Dancers have been a staple in the parade. Weber's School of Irish Dance will be a part of the parade. People like to see the traditional Irish dance groups,' Janor said.
'The parade will once again start (with groups) people who come to the St. Patrick's Day parade expect to see — bagpipes, Irish dancers and that type of thing. … Quigley's Irish Pub will have a nice entry. You'll definitely see Irish flare throughout the parade.'
The grand marshal of the parade is Loaves and Fishes Community Services, who will be represted by its president, Mike Havala.
'They celebrated their 40th anniversary in the community this year. We thought it would be appropriate to recognize not only Mike but their entire organization,' Janor said. 'The West Suburban Irish has certainly supported the organization over the years and they've been a great partner as well.'
Among the unique groups that will be participating are the Medina Shriners, he said.
'They entertain in a number of different ways, from the police cars to the clowns,' he said. 'We've got a BMX bike group coming to do some entertainment. We want to make sure we've got a good balance of business-type entries versus entries that are more entertaining.'
Expect the 'wee folk' in the crowd to be dressed for the occasion and ready to grab the treats thrown from the floats and other participants, Janor said.
'A lot of kids will line up their chairs and candy bags early and stake out their spot,' he said. 'It certainly is a kid-friendly parade. You see a lot of kids dressed in leprechaun hats and green sunglasses.'
All participants and entries are encouraged to be as festive as possible, he said.
'It's just a really unique event with excellent participation from many different groups in the community,' Janor said. 'It's a feel-good, family event to kick off St. Patrick's Day weekend.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
National Geographic
a day ago
- National Geographic
Can Africa's great nomadic people save their way of life?
'If rainy season comes and we have grass and water, I'm happy,' says Fulani herder Alhajji Soh, 25, pictured in the rural community of Déali, Senegal, where rainfall has decreased dramatically. 'Some years we don't have grass and water … at those times I'm unhappy.' Photographs by Robin Hammond Near the southern edge of the Sahara desert, millions of people in some 20 West and Central African countries share a way of life. Year after year, they take part in the ancient practice of nomadic pastoralism, herding livestock across increasingly hot, arid lands of the Sahel region in search of fresh grasslands and accessible water as the seasons change. From the western coast of Senegal to the eastern shorelines of Sudan, herders follow different migratory routes that can cover hundreds of miles. Most of these pastoralists share another important distinction: They are Fulani, an Indigenous people who have a broad cultural identity shaped by such traditional journeys. These groups are vast and varied, and many are traveling in new directions. The Fulani, a predominantly Muslim collection of Indigenous communities spread across nearly two dozen Central and West African countries, are connected by pastoral traditions that stretch back centuries. In northern Cameroon, teenagers (from left) Fadimatou Moussa, Hawaou Hamadou, and Amin Moussa belong to the Mbororo people and take part in annual migrations. Ousmanou Hamadou, 67, and Hamadou Adamou, 51, tend to their goats, sheep, donkeys, and cattle in Cameroon. In fact, the majority of these predominantly Muslim people today are no longer herders. In recent generations many took up farming or settled in towns and cities to follow different prospects to provide for themselves and their families. In Guinea, the Fulani who migrated to the Fouta Djallon mountainous region now grow crops and allow their livestock to roam free. In Sierra Leone, many Fulani have become entrepreneurs who wield influence over the direction of trade and politics. In Nigeria, where the population has grown dramatically, Fulani herders now face increased competition for land and resources. Here, pastoralists lead their cattle through arid lands during the dry season, which in recent years has lasted longer due to climate change. Because Fulani herders are often in transition, they have historically encountered issues accessing and managing the lands they've traversed for generations. Yet despite Fulani people being minorities in almost all the countries where they have settled, several strong leaders have emerged. In recent decades, at least five Fulani presidents have served in African nations. Across the Chad Basin—a landlocked region that includes parts of Chad, Niger, Nigeria, and Cameroon—conflict orchestrated by the jihadist group Boko Haram has disrupted the livelihoods of many Fulani, displacing communities of herders and farmers that have been forced to settle in camps like this one called Taal. Violence accompanying territorial disputes is just one of the many challenges that confront the Fulani. After fleeing violence in Burkina Faso, Jajo Jallo, 49, and his family became refugees in Ghana. Adam Gaya, nine, along with his donkey named Bako, is shown in the village of Fadouk in Niger. On the most basic level, 'Fulani' has become an umbrella term that encompasses many different groups of people, explains Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, a Fulani Mbororo woman and a knowledge holder among her community. She compares those groups to branches on the Fulani tree. 'In West Africa, you have Futa Toro [and] Fouta Djallon,' says Ibrahim, who is a National Geographic Explorer and president of the Peul Indigenous Women and Peoples Association of Chad. 'And then in our area of Central Africa we have some Mbororo'—which is her own branch of peoples. Within the branches there are many different communities. But the majority still feel a strong connection to the land, she says, and their ancestral way of life. At the same time, those who carry on the traditional practice encounter new threats from climate change and regional disputes along their pathways, including occasional aggression from landowners. Some of the more recent conflict may be fueled by an unfounded assertion among some governments and non-Fulani communities that the Fulani are disproportionately joining jihadist groups. The reality is that herders heavily contribute to the region's economy and have a long history of peaceful trade with farmers and business owners. For years, these Mbororo people typically migrated between Nigeria and Cameroon, but as the land they traversed has fallen into private ownership, their traditional routes have become dangerous. Now they travel only within Cameroon where some swaths of open grassland still offer a welcoming corridor. Their journey continues to be an arduous one as temperatures soar in the region. While Fulani may live off the land, they also help replenish it. As these pastoralists travel, Ibrahim points out, their livestock leave behind manure that enriches the soil with nutrients, creating more fertile land. They also trim trees along their routes, strengthening branches that encourage growth and protect against brush fires. Pastoralism is the most adapted livelihood to the Sahel ecosystem, Ibrahim says. (Meet the woman who is inspiring a new future for Africa's nomadic herders.) To gain deeper insight into these often misunderstood communities, photographer and National Geographic Explorer Robin Hammond chronicled their travels over a six-year period. In this story, he shares rare images that speak to their vibrancy and to the enduring hardships they face. 'Fulani culture is amazing and unique, but it's important not to romanticize it,' says Hammond. 'Many herders are just struggling to survive.' A version of this story appears in the July 2025 issue of National Geographic magazine. An Explorer since 2019 and Barcelona-based photographer, Robin Hammond documented the traditions and challenges of nomadic Fulani people in communities across Chad, Niger, Cameroon, Ghana, Senegal, and elsewhere. The nonprofit National Geographic Society, committed to illuminating and protecting the wonder of our world, funded Explorer Robin Hammond's work. Learn more about the Society's support of Explorers. Alexa McMahon is a senior features manager at National Geographic magazine.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
A personal journey: Tracing Richmond's roots back to the Nicholl family
RICHMOND, Calif. - Nicholl is a prominent name in Richmond. There is beautiful Nicholl Park. Nicholl Nob boasts amazing views of the bay. And that's not too far from Nicholl Avenue, where Erika Madsen has lived just a block away for 23 years. It's named after John Nicholl, who was a farmer-turned-East Bay-real estate maven and philanthropist. In the late 1800s, Nicholl bought most of what is now Point Richmond, betting the railroad would be coming thru to San Francisco. It paid off. He taxed the Sante Fe Railroad $80,000 for the right away, and cashed in, putting both Richmond and Nicholl family on the map in the early1900s. "He was domineering and is considered the father of Richmond," historian James Cheshareck said. "He was also the Duke of Richmond. How much was he worth when he passed? Around $3 million. What is that in today's money? Around $94 million." That got me curious. Because tucked away in my storage was an 1895 photo of my mother's grandmother, Ruth Ann Nichol Wells of Richmond. I also have a family portrait of Mary E. Nicholl dating back to the 1800s. So I took the portrait to the Richmond museum of history to donate it and get confirmation. Could these two women be a relative of John Nicholl? Richmond's historian said yes. "This has to be the mother," Cheshareck said. "I've seen pictures of Mary Emma. People aged quicker back then. She has a resemblance to him. The expression is similar." That portrait that has hung in my family home for decades is John Nicholl's Irish mother, Mary. So that would make her my great-great-great grandmother, which makes John Nicholl my great-great-grandfather. Who knew?! The final piece of the Nicholl puzzle was my great-grandmother, Ruth Anne Nicholl Wells, who was Nicholl's fourth of eight children. She had five children of her own including my grandfather, R.A. Wells. And, as fate would have it, we discovered inside the museum a photo of my then 10-year-old grandfather and his siblings circa 1909 – a photo I had never seen before. John Nicholl died in 1914 at age 92 and is buried in Oakland's Mt. View Cemetery along with many of his children.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Mass. lottery drawing postponed after numerous balls fell out of machine
Prior to a Mass Cash drawing Thursday, a door on the machine was left open, allowing numerous balls to fall out. The game, which has drawings twice per day, had to be postponed. It was for the 9 p.m. drawing. The door that was left open was on the Mass Cash drawing machine's mixing chamber. The balls fell out prior to the first number being drawn, which made the entire drawing invalid, lottery officials said. 'The Lottery is committed to ensuring the integrity of our games,' said Lottery Director Mark William Bracken. 'Drawings are conducted twice a day, 365 days a year and while we strive for perfection, we're all human and mistakes can happen. We apologize to our players for the inconvenience and appreciated their patience as we worked diligently to resolve the situation.' Instead, the drawing happened at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday. The winning numbers for the Mass Cash drawing on Thursday are 6-15-22-28-30. Mass. State Lottery winner: Mobil gas station sells $100,000 ticket Mass. State Lottery winner: Irish pub sells winning $120,000 ticket Mass. State Lottery winner: Father gifts daughter $2 million ticket Mass. State Lottery: Keno ticket worth $40,000 sold at Quincy 7-Eleven Read the original article on MassLive.
