Aurora St. Patrick's Parade, Irish flag-raising ceremony to be held Sunday
The city of Aurora will hold its St. Patrick's Parade and Irish flag-raising ceremony beginning at 11 a.m. Sunday in downtown Aurora.
The event 'honoring the legacy of the parade's namesake and Aurora icon, the late Mr. Daniel D. Dolan' is set to be larger than ever, city officials said.
Clayton Muhammad, chief communications and equity officer for the city of Aurora. said there will be 'more units this year in the parade than ever before.'
'This year, we have nearly 30 participants whereas last year, we had about 20,' he said. 'We have built up the parade and the excitement comes, and there is good energy. This is Aurora's newest parade.'
Participation has increased over the past couple of years, Muhammad said, 'just based on awareness.'
'People are aware of it, and we started off the first year with the flag-raising and then the year before last, we did our first parade and then last year our second (parade),' he said.
'Immediately following last year's parade, we started getting emails or calls about people wanting to get in next year or saying they work downtown with their family and want to be a part of it,' he said.
The parade, Muhammad said, is named in honor 'of what we call Aurora's great Irishman, Mr. Dan Dolan.'
'The proud Tomcat (from East Aurora High School) that he was, he literally changed the face of the city through his real estate business and was just a staunch supporter, and after he passed, we're happy to honor the Dolan family in honor of their father,' Muhammad said.
A press release from the city notes that the parade will begin at 11 a.m. at Water Street and Downer Place, marching west to Stolp Avenue before reaching the main stage at the GAR Museum, 23 E. Downer Place.
An Irish flag-raising ceremony will immediately follow, something that Muhammad said 'would kick off our series of cultural and national flag-raisings.'
'We have 16 of them this year,' he said of the flag-raisings, noting that at the one on Sunday the city will 'hand out the Emerald Excellence Awards to Aurora's Irish community members.'
The celebration will also include a performance by the McNulty Irish Dancers, followed by the hoisting of the Irish flag by the Dolan family.
'Then, everybody spreads out throughout downtown Aurora where the bars and restaurants are anxiously awaiting the parade-goers to keep the party going,' Muhammad said with a laugh. 'The universal appeal to this – even though everyone isn't Irish – is the universal energy to kick off the new year. We're coming out of cold and people are energized and excited.'
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