Downtown St. Charles Partnership announces the St. Patrick's Parade award winners

Posted March 19, 2016 1:00 am

Downtown St. Charles Partnership

Approximately 89 parade entries and nearly 100 volunteers made the 2016 St. Patrick's Parade on Saturday, March 12, a success.

Last year, the St. Charles Police Department estimated 18,500 parade attendees and that number was surpassed once again by calculating 19,273 attendees for the 2016 parade.

The parade grand marshals, the local Irish-American community, were recognized in celebration of the 100th anniversary of 1916 Rising and the beginning of Ireland's fight for independence.

Parade entry winners are as follows:

<h3 class="breakHead">Children's Showcase</h3>

• First place: tie, St. Patrick's Catholic Preschool and St. Patrick's Catholic School Girl Scouts

• Second place: Girl Scouts of Wildrose Elementary

• Third place: tie, Daisy Troop 99 and Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois-Pottawatomie Service Unit

<h3 class="breakHead">Nonprofit Showcase</h3>

• First place: Knights of Columbus

• Second place: St. Charles Public Library

• Third place: Congregational United Church of Christ

<h3 class="breakHead">Business Showcase</h3>

• First place: Landmark Farms Inc.

• Second place: Smallcakes

• Third place: Abby's Breakfast & Lunch

• First place: Blue Goose Market

Parade sponsors include: (Presenting) Fox Valley Buick GMC and Fox Valley Volkswagen; (Gold) Advanced Disposal, Arcada Live, Kane County Chronicle, McNally's Heating & Cooling, McNally's Traditional Irish Pub; (Silver) Blue Goose Market, Button Man Printing, Christ Community Church, Delnor Express Care, uBreakiFix and (Bronze) AHC Advisors, Clean As A Whisker Pet Grooming, Rocket Fizz.

The Parade Committee was chaired by Craig Larsen of AHC Advisors and included John Hughes, ABS Graphics; Steve Martin of First State Bank; Darlene Riebe, resident; Betsy Penny, resident; Jan Wilson, Hair Capers; Shay Clarke, McNally's Traditional Irish Pub; Alison Costanzo, St. Charles History Museum; Tony Bellafiore, Tony Whittaker and Jeremy Craft, City of St. Charles Public Works; Officer Ben Devol and Commander Erik Mahan, City of St. Charles Police Department.

The committee would like to give special thanks to the following people, businesses and organizations: ABS Graphics, Chicago Tribune, City of St. Charles, City of St. Charles Police Department, City of St. Charles Public Works, Daily Herald, Elgin Courier, Kelly Orthodontics, Mayor Ray Rogina and Diane, McDowell Remodeling, Inc., Rose Canfield, Solutions Networking Inc., St. Charles City Council, St. Charles History Museum, Thompson Middle School, and Yurs Funeral Home.

The 2016 parade featured bands, Irish dancers, authentic Irish music, floats, school groups, Girl and Boy Scouts, service clubs, and an array of floats. The day also featured a "Deck Out Your Lucky Dog" contest sponsored by the Clean as a Whisker Pet Grooming and a dance show at the Arcada Theatre featuring local dance troupes.

The parade recap video can be viewed on the Downtown St. Charles Partnership's YouTube channel at youtube.com/DowntownStCharles.

The mission of the Downtown St. Charles Partnership is to enhance the economic viability and to preserve the character and beauty of downtown St. Charles. In addition to business recruitment, business assistance and downtown preservation, the partnership produces the St. Charles Fine Art Show and Holiday Homecoming. For more information, including membership, volunteer opportunities, and events, visit www.downtownstcharles.org.

Crowds line the Main Street during the St. Patrick Day Parade in downtown St. Charles. Courtesy of Alex Claney Photography

Article Comments

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.