Celebrate St. Patrick's Day early at Lake Villa's parade

The village of Lake Villa's annual St. Patrick's Day Parade is Saturday, March 11. Parade lineup will begin at 10:30 a.m. at Palombi Middle School, 133 McKinley Ave., with the parade set to step off at noon.

The parade route will follow McKinley Avenue north to Burnett Avenue, then go west to Sherwood Avenue, north to Grand Avenue, west to Cedar Avenue then north to end on Railroad Avenue by the Lake Villa VFW.

According to Lake Villa Mayor Frank Loffredo, the parade typically has 40-60 entries, including school groups, bands, scouts, athletic groups, politicians and businesses.

"It's really an eclectic group of participants, and everybody's welcome," Loffredo said, adding that a few years back a couple even got married on a float during the parade.

Loffredo said that the parade was started during the Lake Villa's centennial by the Limerick Club, a club for people of Irish heritage. As one of the centennial events that people liked the most, it became an annual tradition, with the organization of the parade eventually being taken over by the village. He said that, as the only event of its kind in Lake County, the parade is always well attended, even in years when the March weather isn't as mild as this year's has been.

"It doesn't seem to matter how cold or wet the weather is," Loffredo said. "They're a hardy bunch."

Spectators are encouraged to bring donations of food to help fill the rainbow caboose for the Lake Villa Township Food Pantry. Donations will be accepted along the parade route and at the VFW.

After the parade, the day's festivities will continue with the annual Corned Beef and Cabbage Luncheon held at the VFW, 130 E. Grand Ave., Lake Villa.

The cost of the luncheon is $8 for adults and $6 for children under 12 and seniors; a $4 hot dog plate is also available for kids who don't like corned beef. Proceeds go toward the costs of the parade

For information, visit www.lake-villa.org.