Best St. Patrick's Day Parades in Illinois

The best St. Patrick's Day parades in Illinois are to a great degree the result of the hard work and the continued interest of a large demographic of Irish Americans both in Chicago and throughout the state You may have chanced to see what is done to downtown canals in Chicago on St. Patrick's Day. Perhaps the green color that is added to the water for the occasion makes it seem like the whole city has the blood of Ireland coursing through its veins. While that is a bit of an exaggeration, it is true that among the fifty states, Illinois does rise among the leaders of those really getting out the green and that includes organizing some of these best St. Patrick's Day parades in Illinois.

Elmhurst, Illinois This is only the 12th year of existence for the Elmhurst, Illinois St. Patrick's Day Parade so it cannot rely on decades of tradition to get people interested and supportive of this parade. What the parade leadership in Elmhurst has relied on is the mantra that this is and hopefully will remain " a small local parade". For the folks in and around Elmhurst it has become a great way to participate in the celebration of St. Patrick's Day without having to travel.

This year's St. Patrick's Day Parade in Elmhurst, Illinois will begin at noon, on Saturday March 15, 2008. This year's parade will definitely not rival those in downtown Chicago, New York or Boston. It isn't meant to. This is a parade where the streets are more narrow, the total number of marchers fewer, but the exuberance and the wearing of the green is in full display. From green painted faces, to all the green clothes you can put on one body, to lots of green balloons everywhere this is a community event. Don't worry there are still plenty of units to watch, pipe and drum bands, marching bands, local politicians, civic groups, floats and novelties fill a fun line of march making this small local parade one of the best St. Patrick's Day Parades in Illinois.