Latest news with #SouthSideIrishParade
Chicago Tribune
16-03-2025
- Climate
- Chicago Tribune
Despite the cold and snow, South Side Irish Parade organizers estimate 77,000 turn out
Chicago's Dave Madeck went bicycling Friday and was sweating on a day that hit 80 degrees in the Chicago area. On Sunday, he, his fiancé Maria Comacho and her mother, Elvira, were bundled while staking their claim for a prime spot at the 45th South Side Irish Parade. The snowy, wet and cold weather didn't stop Madeck and the Camachos from enjoying their first South Side Irish Parade as they sat near the popular 103rd Street and Western Avenue viewing area. They woke up in the morning, looked out the window, but despite the undesirable weather they were determined. 'You know what we said?' Madeck said. 'We said if this was the Christmas parade, we would come.' 'Nothing was going to stop us,' Maria Camacho said. Plenty of others were not stopped. Parade committee officials estimated a turnout of 77,000. The parade featured more than 100 entries/floats, including one with, fittingly, Santa Claus. Irish dancers were bundled and many of the younger dancers were too cold to dance. Even Bozo the Clown needed to keep his orange hair and makeup dry by using an umbrella. Madeck, 65, and Maria Comacho have been to Irish parades in the past and heard so much about the South Side event that he finally made an appearance. Elvira, 73, had never been to an Irish parade before. 'I love them, love them,' Maria said. 'I love the dancers. It's just beautiful.' Elvira said she loves 'everything' about parades while Madeck is a fan of the bands and the floats. The grand marshal this year was the Big Shoulders Fund and the community honoree was the Brother Rice Mount Sion Program, a special education inclusion program. A special guest of the Mount Sion program was the Brother Rice boys basketball team, which finished second in the state at the Illinois High School Association Class 3A tournament the night before in Champaign. 'These last 24 hours have been long and emotional,' senior guard Marcos Gonzales said. 'I'll always have the moments and the memories with the guys, especially being here, I'll remember forever.' After the Crusaders dropped a 55-52 double-overtime heartbreaker to DePaul Prep at the State Farm Center, they had a team dinner at Barraco's in Evergreen Park. Gonzales said he got home at 1:30 a.m. and woke up early to participate in his first Irish parade. 'I'm not the biggest fan of the snow or the cold, but everybody has to deal with it,' he said. 'But I have never been to the parade, even as a spectator, so this is great.' Grace McKee was the parade's queen this year after spending many years as a drummer at the parade for the Stock Yard Kilty Band While most people were having fun and sharing joyous memories, some also had a few sad thoughts about two people who recently died who had strong ties to the parade. George Hendry, of Morgan Park, died at age 78 July 16. He was the co-founder of the event in 1979 with Pat Coakley. Pat Coakley's son, Kevin, had fond memories of Hendry. 'He wasn't actively involved last year, but he watched the parade to watch his children and grandkids march,' Kevin Coakley said. 'He was the driving force for the parade. It was his idea. He and my dad put it together and I don't think they ever thought it was going to be as big as it would get.' The legend is that Hendry and Coakley marched with a group of neighborhood kids known as the Wee Folks of Washtnaw and Talman. The little march included a decorated baby buggy. From there, it grew to an event that draws tens of thousands per year. 'I was 7 when I marched in the first parade,' Kevin said. 'Back then I was thinking 'where is the hot chocolate and where are the Twinkies?'' In February, 88-year-old George Nedved Jr. died. He was a beloved longtime parade treasurer and volunteer and was a reviewing stand announcer with his brother, Kevin.
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Sunday forecast: Cold for St. Patrick's Day celebrations around Chicagoland, slushy snow accumulating during morning hours
Weather Maps Interactive Radar Weather Bug Cameras How should you dress for Sunday's continuing St. Patrick's Day weekend celebrations around Chicagoland? In one word: warm. A rain/snow mix has been falling around the area Sunday morning, with up to 1 or 2 inches of slushy, wet snow possible in some locations. The highest accumulations are likely in the far northwest suburbs. That's a massive contrast from Saturday, when high temperatures reached 66 degrees at O'Hare International Airport. Additionally, about one-third of an inch of rain fell from the storms that rolled through Chicagoland late Friday night into early Saturday morning. As for Sunday, morning temps ranged only in the low to mid-30s, with northwest winds gusting as high as 25 miles per hour in some spots. That's creating morning wind chills in the 20s, even the teens in some locations. Wind chills will remain stuck in the 20s and low 30s, even as air temps get into the upper 30s and lower 40s later Sunday. Meanwhile, Chicagoland will see gradual afternoon clearing after the morning band of precipitation makes its way through the areas, with some sun possibly even peeking out later Sunday. But it'll remain cold all day. 47th annual South Side Irish Parade steps off at noon Sunday in Beverly neighborhood 22nd edition of Northwest Side Irish Parade kicks off Sunday at noon in Norwood Park neighborhood Fortunately, that cold air doesn't stick around long. High temps will get back into the mid-50s on Monday and all the way back into the mid- to upper 60s by Tuesday, though it'll remain cooler in lakeside areas. Weather Maps Weather & Climate News Interactive Radar Weather Bug Cameras 7-Day Outlook Weather Center Newsletter The extended outlook calls for another nice warm-up right away this week, with temps in the upper 60s by Tuesday, along with increasing clouds. Wednesday brings the next chance for storms, with highs near 60 but falling all day for the last full day of winter. Thursday is the Spring Equinox, and we'll have chilly temps in the low 40s, plus a chance of morning rain/snow showers, then partly sunny skies by the afternoon. Full forecast details and more at the Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
22nd edition of Northwest Side Irish Parade kicks off Sunday at noon in Norwood Park neighborhood
CHICAGO — St. Patrick's Day weekend festivities around the city will roll through the Norwood Park area Sunday with the 22nd edition of the Northwest Side Irish Parade. St. Patrick's Day 2025: A complete Chicago guide to river dyeing, parades and celebrating all things Irish It steps off at noon at North Neola Avenue and West Raven Street, with the staging area at William J. Onahan Elementary School. The route then continues down N. Neola Ave. to North Northwest Highway, before turning down N. Northwest Highway. There's a parade review stand at Northwest Highway and Raven. 47th annual South Side Irish Parade steps off at noon Sunday in Beverly neighborhood 70th annual St. Patrick's Day Parade celebrates Irish culture The parade is put on by the Northwest Side St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee and was founded to bring Chicago's Northwest Side area a celebration of Irish involvement in the American experience. The Northwest Irish Parade Foundation and the parade itself also raise money and awareness for community efforts and charitable donations. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
47th annual South Side Irish Parade steps off at noon Sunday in Beverly neighborhood
CHICAGO — The Chicago River was dyed green and the sights and sounds of Irish culture were on full display Saturday during the 70th annual downtown St. Patrick's Day Parade. That was just the start of the St. Patrick's Day weekend festivities in Chicago. The festivities continue Sunday with the 47th annual South Side Irish Parade, which begins with a ribbon cutting at 11:45 a.m. then steps off at noon in the Beverly neighborhood, at West 103rd Street and South Western Avenue. WGN-TV will be at the parade, featuring a WGN float and Bozo the Clown. St. Patrick's Day 2025: A complete Chicago guide to river dyeing, parades and celebrating all things Irish The South Side Irish Parade annually draws more than 100,000 people and features bands, floats, dancers and more marching south to West 115th Street. The parade was the vision of two best friends, George Hendry and Pat Coakley, both raised on the South Side, Hendry in the St. Sabina Parish and Coakley in the Little Flower Parish in the Auburn neighborhood. They met in their early 30s after both moved to the Morgan Park community with their young wives. There they became neighbors and best friends, and in 1979 they co-founded the South Side Irish Parade over beers at the kitchen table. They started the parade with 17 children from Morgan Park and a baby buggy as a float. The parade is now much larger, of course, and the Grand Marshal of this year's parade is the Big Shoulders Fund. Inspired by Joseph Cardinal Bernardin, the Big Shoulders Fund was founded by a group of business and civic leaders in 1986 to provide support to schools in underserved communities in Chicago. The Big Shoulders Fund has raised over $650 million since it started and today provides scholarships to over 5,000 children every year, Big Shoulders Fund President and CEO Josh Hale says. 'Those scholarships also provide enrichments, so mentors, tutors, access to lots of experiences, like museums,' Hale added. 'We also help invest in classrooms and teachers. '… Just like this parade brings people together as a strong community organization, our schools in each one of these little communities — together as a network — we think they bring together the greatest diversity of our city into one wonderful tapestry that makes our city a better place for all.' Hale says the Big Shoulders Fund serves a network of 92 schools, encompassing about 25,000 children. 'Over the life of the Big Shoulders Fund, hundreds of thousands, if not more, have benefitted from this,' Hale said. 'Ultimately, we want these children to go on to brighter futures.' Hale said about 250 children will be marching with the Big Shoulders Fund during the South Side Irish Parade on Sunday. 'That sort of energy, you can't keep that down,' Hale said. 'So we're going to be marching with pride and happiness.' Meanwhile, the special honoree at this year's parade is the Mount Sion Program at Brother Rice High School, located on the South Side. The program is a special education inclusion initiative, designed to meet the unique needs of students with moderate cognitive disabilities or significant learning disabilities. The Mount Sion Program is finishing its first year during this academic school year. 'We've garnered so much community support that we'll be finishing our first year this year and welcoming our second class next year,' Matt Prunckle, program director, said. Prunckle says there are currently four students in the program. Three more have been accepted for next year, and the plan is to grow the program by three or four students each year. 'The impact has been great,' Prunckle said. 'It's not limited to the boys that are in the program. It's really changed and strengthened our whole entire community. '… Brother Rice is a better place because we've opened our door to more young men.' Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines Brother Rice will have a float at Sunday's parade, featuring current and former students and families, as well as members of its boys basketball team, which just finished as the IHSA Class 3A state runner-up over the weekend at the State Tournament in Champaign. 'It fits in line with the values of the parade, with that faith, tradition and community,' Prunckle said. '… It shows the best of what Beverly is all about.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
14-03-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Will severe weather impact Chicago's St. Patrick's Day festivities? Our meteorologist weighs in.
As Chicagoans prepare to celebrate St. Patrick's Day events across the city, the threat of severe weather, including potentially damaging winds, will arrive Friday night. How will this affect the festivities this weekend? CBS Chicago Meteorologist Ed Curran says the only thing to worry about is the wind. A wind advisory is in effect on Friday for winds reaching over 45 miles per hour. The risk of severe weather, bringing thunderstorms, winds of over 70 miles per hour, and potential tornadoes, will increase Friday night with an enhanced threat southwest of Chicago between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m. The Chicago area will remain in alert mode on Saturday, with high winds expected to bring gusts of up to 60 miles per hour. Those looking to attend outdoor activities, especially with tents or floats, may have their hands full — including the Chicago St. Patrick's Day Parade downtown. Planned festivities for St. Patrick's Day weekend While the weather may impact some people's plans, there are still plenty of festivities planned this weekend. Every year on the Saturday before St. Patrick's Day, the Chicago River is dyed green. The dyeing of the river will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Meanwhile, the city's downtown St. Patrick's Day Parade begins at 12:15 p.m. on Saturday, March 15, launching at the intersection of Columbus and Balbo drives in Grant Park. Winds will subside Saturday into Sunday morning, just in time for the South Side Irish Parade in the Beverly/Morgan Park community.
