St. Patrick’s Day parades usher in spring with floats and fanfare

St. Patrick’s Day parades across the suburbs drew thousands of spectators, including in Naperville where roughly 10,000 people came together to celebrate Irish culture and kick off the spring season with floats, dancers, bands, and political hopefuls campaigning.

Obviously, the parade chair said, Naperville loves a parade.

Rich Janor, in his second year heading the West suburban Irish Naperville St. Patrick’s Day Parade, marshaled entries in the staging area at Naperville North High School before he followed the city’s police and fire trucks south down Mill Street toward Naperville Central High School.

“It’s a tremendous community event with a perfect mix of the traditional Irish dance groups, bagpipers, business groups, civic leaders,” he said. “Early voting starts actually in two days (on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17), so a lot of candidates and elected officials are kind of making it their final major event before the early voting begins.”

In pleasant if breezy conditions that sent the occasional green hat and campaign handout flying, people enjoyed similar festivities at parades in East Dundee, Grayslake, Lake Villa, Palatine, St. Charles and other towns.

Irish or not. Or somewhat.

“My husband’s a little bit Irish,” said Ashley Frey of Greg Frey, while watching the show on Mill Street with their two children and her sister, Jennie, and her family.

“We grew up in Naperville, then I moved to Lemont when I got engaged,” said Ashley Frey, a 2005 Waubonsie Valley graduate. “But we love this parade. It’s always such a great event. We just love it here.”

The children among the anticipated 10,000 onlookers wouldn’t know a city council candidate from a shillelagh. They were there for the School of Rock, the sirens, the Medinah Shriners on their motorcycles and little cars.

And the candy. Washington Junior High School student Evie Turner had a stockpile less than halfway into the parade. Older brother Gavin missed out.

“I have an 18-year-old, too, so he’s a little past the parade stage, but I was able to get her out and it’s a lovely day,” said Evie’s mother, Angel, joined by her husband, Quentin.

“It reminds me a lot of when my kids were little. It’s kind of upbeat. It’s a nice way to start the spring,” Angel Turner said.

Claret Bilbao of Aurora, there with her sister, Delly Rojas, saw the Santa Cruz Carnival in their native Bolivia three weeks ago. Now, the lure was her husband, Kermith, driving a Shriner car.

“I’ve never been here before, but this is a great opportunity to watch the parade, to see how people get together,” Claret Bilbao said.

Bob and Tracy Bodach came from Shorewood to see the Naperville St. Patrick’s Day Parade. They even brought friends in from Germany.

“We wouldn’t miss this parade,” Tracy Bodach said. “It’s festive, it starts the holiday weekend. The dancers, the green, of course the bags and pipes. Being part of the community, it’s a great way to start the weekend.”

Mike Kristula of Treasures toy store in Naperville signed up “very, very last minute,” he said, and assigned entry No. 102.

There is a sort of honor in being the last float.

“Oh, for sure,” Kristula said. “We’ve got to bring the most energy, got to finish the parade strong.”