Everyone's Irish at annual St. Patrick's Day parade in Naperville

When Ray McGury was growing up on the South Side of Chicago, he didn't need a calendar to remind him about St. Patrick's Day.

No offense to you North-Siders, but you don't know what it's like to really, truly celebrate St. Paddy until you've spent the big day hanging with the South Side Irish. There would be young Ray, watching the parade in a sea of green and then making his way home through a neighborhood where everyone, it seemed, was having a party.

If you couldn't find a leprechaun's pot of gold, the next best thing was being an Irish kid on the South Side on St. Patrick's Day.

It's easy to imagine, then, the little jolt McGury received when organizers of the West Suburban Irish St. Patrick's Day parade approached him and suggested he would make the perfect grand marshal for this year's event in downtown Naperville.

McGury, who has spent the past 28 years in public service - first as a police officer and most recently as executive director of Naperville Park District - says he was thrilled and humbled.

"I'm excited," he said with a smile, "and also surprised they made their way all the way down to the M's."

Chuck Corrigan, the attorney from Naperville who serves as parade chairman, said organizers chose McGury because he's - surprise! - Irish, well-known in the community for his volunteer work with Illinois Special Olympics and St. Baldrick's efforts to combat cancer, and well thought of for his work in helping stabilize a park district that had experienced difficulties at the top of its command structure.

It also doesn't hurt, Corrigan said, "that the park district helps keep Naperville green."

McGury, for his part, already has assured organizers there won't be any re-enactment of that parade scene from "Animal House" on his watch.

That's probably of great comfort to Corrigan, who said this year's procession will feature 85 to 100 units when it steps off at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 13, from Naperville North High School and weaves its way through downtown.

The parade, now in its 17th year, will feature eight or 10 floats, an assortment of decorated vehicles, a few bagpipe units, several troupes of Irish dancers, members of Up With People who are in town for some other gigs, and the usual assortment of businesses, youth groups and politicians.

While almost everybody will be in green, they won't all have a direct connection to the Emerald Isle. The St. Andrews Society, a Scottish group that sponsors the Highland Games, will participate, as will a group of belly dancers with a Middle Eastern flair.

This year's parade queen is Shannon Kelly Webster, a senior at Naperville Central High School who's a member of the yearbook staff and planning to attend Marquette University next fall with an eye toward a career in broadcast communications.

Several thousand people are expected to line the route that covers a tad more than a mile for the parade that usually lasts about 90 minutes.

Corrigan, who is a civil litigator in real life, calls himself a "professional problem solver," which comes in handy when it's time to get everybody in the right place at the right time.

This is his fifth year organizing the parade for West Suburban Irish, a nonprofit group of about 80 families - almost all of whom will be helping out Saturday.

Corrigan's rise to the top of the organizational chart was fairly quick and simple.

"You volunteer for something," he says with a smile, "and pretty soon you're in charge."

In this case, that means he's responsible for planning, logistics and making sure participants follow the Golden Parade Rule: Keep it moving.

On parade day, he'll work with about 20 volunteers in the staging area and then head to the front of the line to march with some of the key players. When the parade reaches the reviewing stand, he'll peel off and enjoy the rest of the show with everyone else.

He'll be among those cheering loudest for McGury. And while Naperville isn't exactly the South Side of Chicago, you can be sure the grand marshal will be beaming with some of that Irish pride.

"Now," McGury says, tongue only partially in cheek, "I can tell my peers I finally made it."

<p class="factboxheadblack">If you go</p>

<p class="News"><b>What:</b> St. Patrick's Day parade</p>

<p class="News"><b>When: </b>10 a.m. Saturday, March 13</p>

<p class="News"><b>Where: </b>Starts at Naperville North High School, 899 N. Mill St., and weaves through downtown Naperville</p>

<p class="News"><b>Who: </b>Sponsored by West Suburban Irish</p>

<p class="News"><b>Info:</b> <a href="http://wsirish.org" target="new">wsirish.org</a> </p>