St. Charles' St. Patrick's Day parade will feature baseball legends

The 2010 edition of St. Charles' St. Patrick's Day parade should be a draw for longtime fans of both of Chicago's major league baseball teams.

The St. Charles Chamber of Commerce will bring in White Sox legend Billy Pierce and Cubs great Randy Hundley to be the grand marshals of the parade. Pierce still holds White Sox franchise records for strikeouts, and has more wins, innings pitched and starts than any left-hander in the club's history. Pierce pitched for the White Sox from 1949 to 1961.

Hundley is generally considered one of the best catchers in Cubs history. He also helped pioneer the one-handed catching style that all major league catchers use in today's game. Hundley played for the Cubs from 1966 to 1973 with another stint in the 1976 and 1977 seasons.

It's not that the parade necessarily needs the names of former star athletes to draw a crowd, said one of the parade's organizers, Juli Schatz.

"It's a parade and an event in St. Charles that people look forward to every year," Schatz said. "Last year, it could not have been more miserable weather. It was cold and dark, and I can't believe how many people still showed up to line the streets. It was as if the sun was shining and the weather was great."

The chamber usually tries to schedule the parade so it doesn't conflict with Chicago's big parade. This year, the parade will be later in the day to allow for several bag pipe bands that will be in the Chicago parade to make it out to St. Charles for another performance.

Schatz said there is still time to be in the parade, but the deadline for entries is Feb. 26.

Schatz said it doesn't take much to get involved with the parade and be an active member of the community.

"If someone has a cool car all you need are some green signs or dye your body green," she said.

For details about being in the parade, call Debbie Treutler at (630) 584-8384.