Amelia Hutson, 8, of South Elgin waves a sign to those walking in the St. Patrick's Day parade in St. Charles Saturday. Hutson participated in the "Go Bald for Ben" fundraiser at Corron Elementary School on March 9 in memory of a fellow classmate who died last November.
Laura Stoecker/lstoecker@dailyherald.com
Suburban residents who are Irish - or Irish at heart - got to celebrate St. Patrick's Day days early Saturday with several parades, from Lake Villa to Naperville.
"Everyone makes claims to be Irish, right? This is the day you get to do it," Kyle McBroom of St. Charles said before the start of the St. Patrick's Day parade through downtown St. Charles.
Officially, St. Patrick's Day is Thursday, March 17. Parade watchers in St. Charles said the suburban events were a good alternative to Chicago's much more popular annual parade, which also was on Saturday.
The crowds at the suburban parades also appear to be getting larger. So many people lined Main Street for the St. Charles parade that good viewing spots were at a premium.
Tammy Damato grabbed a spot early along the parade route so she could get a view of her daughter in the St. Charles East High School marching band.
"The last parade I saw was the Christmas parade," the St. Charles resident said. "It was cold then, and it was packed out here."
The Col. George Baker statue outside his namesake Hotel Baker on Main Street in St. Charles is decked out in Irish themed attire for the St. Patrick's Day parade Saturday.
Laura Stoecker/lstoecker@dailyherald.com
The St. Patrick's Day parade heads east on Main Street in St. Charles Saturday.
Laura Stoecker/lstoecker@dailyherald.com
Blake Francis, 3, of Aurora gets a high-five from a parade volunteer after being donned in green beads as he helps Officer Brooks Boyce drive the lead car in the St. Charles St. Patrick's Day parade Saturday. Blake and his father, Scott, were there courtesy of the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the St. Charles Police Department. Blake has been diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a childhood cancer, and an autoimmune disorder.
Laura Stoecker/lstoecker@dailyherald.com
Blake Francis, 3, of Aurora gets a high-five from a parade volunteer after being donned in green beads as he helps Officer Brooks Boyce drive the lead car in the St. Charles St. Patrick's Day parade Saturday. Blake and his father, Scott, were there courtesy of the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the St. Charles Police Department. Blake has been diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a childhood cancer, and an autoimmune disorder.
Laura Stoecker/lstoecker@dailyherald.com