Rosie Martinez chosen as St. Pat’s parade grand marshal

Posted March 11, 2013 10:42 am

Submitted by Downtown St. Charles Partnership

The Downtown St. Charles Partnership has announced that Rosie Martinez will serve as the 2013 St. Patrick’s Parade grand marshal. In 2000, Martinez and a group of 15 volunteers helped establish the first parade with the Downtown St. Charles Partnership and the St. Charles Chamber of Commerce, with cooperation from the city of St. Charles.

In 1998, Maurice McNally invited Martinez to leave Dublin, Ireland, and help open McNally’s Traditional Irish Pub in St. Charles. In 1999, she approached the city of St. Charles about organizing the first St. Patrick’s Parade. “I wanted to bring a piece of my culture to St. Charles and show how we really do it back home. We wanted to bring a piece of Ireland to St. Charles.” said Martinez. Today, Martinez, who helped establish McNally’s Irish Pub, works as a hair dresser for Colour Line Hair Studio in Geneva and is still a part of the management team at McNally’s Irish Pub.

“McNally’s is more than we envisioned. It’s been a big ride, amazing clientele, and the town really embraced us. I love St. Charles. I live in Schaumburg, but I work in St. Charles and I bank in St. Charles. This is a great town with great people, 100 percent. I was accepted as one of their own, and for that I’m very lucky,” said Martinez.

The 2013 St. Patrick’s Parade takes place on Main Street from Sixth Street to Fourth Avenue beginning at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 16.

This year’s parade will feature bands, Irish dancers, Irish music, floats, school groups, preschools, service clubs, and an array of floats. The event will draw up to 15,000 people from around the area to watch and participate in the parade. In addition to the parade, the St. Charles Veterinary Clinic is sponsoring a Deck Out Your Lucky Dog Contest, and decorated dogs will be invited to walk in the parade. The Arcada Theatre, 105 E. Main St., also will host a dance show that features area dance troupes beginning at 10 a.m.

For information, visit www.DowntownStCharles.org, call the Downtown St. Charles Partnership office at (630) 443-3967, or email info@downtownstcharles.org

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