Palatine's St. Patrick's Day parade will be back next month

Palatine's St. Patrick's Day parade will be back next month after a two-year hiatus.

The parade March 12 is sponsored by Durty Nellie's, the downtown restaurant and music venue that next month also will celebrate its 50th year in business.

"It's exciting to have it back," Durty Nellie's co-owner Jimmy Dolezal said of the parade, which was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Village council members on Monday approved the necessary permits for the parade and festivities.

"It's only brought positives to the downtown. Thank you for inspiring it and continuing on after years," Councilman Scott Lamerand said.

Durty Nellie's is partnering with Vicarious Multimedia to organize the parade, which will step off at 11 a.m. March 12 and head west on Wood Street from village hall, then north on Smith Street, ending at Colfax Street.

Staging will take place along Oak Street, in the driveway of Sanborn Elementary School and in the parking lot of St. Paul United Church. The organizers are in process of getting approval from the church and school, village officials said.

The organizers will reimburse the village for any police, fire and public works services for the event, and the village manager will have the authority to cancel the parade in inclement weather.

As part of the festivities, Durty Nellie's, 180 N. Smith St., will offer a traditional Irish breakfast before the parade.

Once the parade is over, there will be a party, inside and outside, to celebrating the venue's five decades in business.

There will be a tent in the parking lot with Irish acoustic music and duo acts that will play until 10 p.m. Inside the venue, there will be music from Irish bands, with the group Wedding Band - wearing kilts on stage - capping off the night, Dolezal said.

The village council on Monday also approved a request from Tap House Grill to host a St. Pat's Party on March 11 and March 12.

The event will be held in the parking lot of Tap House Grill, 56 W. Wilson St. There will be dueling pianos and speakers from 6 to 11 p.m. March 11, and from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. March 12, there will be live music, a D.J. and Irish-themed food and beer.