Naperville parade shows Irish pride

St. Patrick's Day marches into Naperville a few days early this year.

Floats, bands and dancers will fill the streets when the West Suburban Irish St. Patrick's Day Parade steps off at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 12, and heads through downtown Naperville.

The parade will feature 90 units, including the 280-member West Aurora High School Marching Band, said Chuck Corrigan, member of the West Suburban Irish.

"It's the usual mix of local businesses, youth groups, a few politicians in there, bagpipers and Irish dancers," Corrigan said.

Naperville resident Patrick Bowler, president of Naperville Responds for Our Veterans and an assistant golf coach at North Central College, will serve as grand marshal. Parade Queen Allison Clymer, a senior at Neuqua Valley High School, runs track, plays viola, is involved with theater and volunteers at Safety Town and Central DuPage Hospital. Both were selected for their community involvement as well as their Irish heritage, organizers said.

The parade begins from Naperville North on Mill Street south of Ogden Avenue and proceeds south on Mill to Jefferson Avenue, then east on Jefferson to Main Street and south on Main to Water Street, ending at Water Street.

Before the pageantry begins, the sixth annual St. Paddy's Day 5K will take runners over the parade route beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday.

"It's fun to run right down Jefferson, right down the middle of Naperville," said Rich Cullen, founder of the race presented by the Rotary Club of Naperville Sunrise.

Cullen started the annual tradition in 2011.

"We were needing a fundraiser," he said. "One hundred percent of what we make goes to charities. The charity we're featuring this year is Family Shelter Services."

The Wheaton-based agency offers emergency shelter and counseling services for victims of domestic abuse.

Several other charities supported by the Rotary Sunrise Club also will benefit, he said.

Donations of new and used running shoes will be collected by the Winged Foot Foundation both at advance packet pickup locations and at the race site. The organization distributes donations to needy athletes in the Chicago area. Donations of bicycles will be accepted at Centennial Beach on race day by Working Bikes Chicago, a charity that provides bikes for needy people in Lesotho, Africa.

This year, the chip-timed race will introduce new technology that offers runners more statistical on-the-spot information about their performance, said Cullen, a retired engineer.

For his part, Cullen will be monitoring the computerized end of the event.

"This will be the first year I don't actually run in it," he said.

He said the first year, 2,000 runners entered the race, which hit a high point in 2013 when 2,700 runners participated. He said race organizers can accommodate up to 2,500 runners this year and are hoping to attract at least 2,200 athletes.

Cullen said the race takes runners from the starting line at West Street and Jackson Avenue, near Centennial Beach, to Mill Street where runners go north to Naperville North High School. Then runners backtrack south on Mill to run along Jefferson Avenue and Main Street before doubling back to the finish line at West and Jackson.

"We have the advantage of being in the situation where the roads are already closed (for the parade)," he said.

Registered runners will receive technical running shirts while supplies last. The registration fee is $40 for adults and $30 for children 9 and younger. Packets can be picked up in advance from 3 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 10, and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, March 11, at the Naperville Running Company, 34 W. Jefferson Ave. Packets also can be picked up from 6:30 to 7:30 a.m. on race day at the tent near the starting line.

Age category winners will receive recognition. Cash prizes of $100, $50 and $25 will be given, respectively, to the top three overall winners.

Both Cullen and Corrigan said they are hoping for pleasant weather.

"We've had wonderful weather and we've had horrendous weather," said Cullen.

"We've had both extremes," said Corrigan.

If you go

What: St. Paddy's Day 5K and St. Patrick's Day Parade

When: 8 a.m. Saturday, March 12 for the 5K; 10 a.m. for the parade

Where: Mill Street, Jefferson Avenue and Main Street in downtown Naperville

Cost: Free for spectators; $30-$40 for racers

Info: wsirish.org and stpaddysday5k.org