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Kate Gardiner/Chicagoist
According to the committee's press release, the parade's increasingly large attendance size in addition to resources needed to control the crowd and fund the event have "become overwhelming to the community." The parade along Western Avenue was started in 1979 by two families as a way for residents to show their Irish pride, but has since transformed into an international event that attracts over 300,000 participants each year.
"While we regret the need to alter such a fine tradition, the Committee feels that suspending the South Side Irish Parade in its present form is the just and responsible thing to do," said the planners in their press release. "It is our hope, however, that this will not mean an end to the neighborhood's annual celebration. The Committee will work to create a series of alternate events that will return us to what the parade's founders had in mind - a neighborhood-friendly celebration of Irish heritage."
The committee will release more details about these alternative events later this year. [S-T]
Check out our pictures of this year's parade here.
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please read carefully - the committee states they are "not planning to stage a parade in its PRESENT FORM in March of 2010." whatever that means, but it might be important.
I'm reasonably sure that the line, "The Committee will work to create a series of alternate events that will return us to what the parade's founders had in mind - a neighborhood-friendly celebration of Irish heritage." indicates that the parade will be replaced by things meant not to draw thousands of drunken revelers.
That's my guess at least.
Thank you Tankboy. I'm on the parade committee, and we definitely plan to do something, but it won't be the drunkfest and it will be more family-oriented and neighborhood-friendly.
Can we get ride of the PR Independence Parade too?
Amen.
All these "ethnic" parades make my skin crawl.
I'm Irish, parents from the old country, but the open bar on Western for the past 30 years has as much to do with Irish Pride as "God Save the Queen."
No. You don't like it don't attend. Thanks.
No. You don't like it don't attend. Thanks.
No. You don't like it don't attend. Thanks.
No. You don't like it don't attend. Thanks.
Well, the cylons have spoken ;)
I don't get being proud of your ancestry. It's not an accomplishment and marching about in fancy dress to lord it over the Ukranians or whathave you for not having a big parade is doofy.
I don't get not having any sense of your history. Having pride in your ethnic background is about recognizing the factors that make you who you are. If you think your family and their history have had no impact on who you are, that's just naive.
I do think that the parade is completely out of hand though, and understand why they want to change it.
Now that the South Side parade will no longer be held (in its present form), we need to make the downtown parade great once again. How do we do that?
By moving the downtown parade back into the Loop. The current location, Columbus Drive, is BORING. The streetscape is barren and gives the parade a small-time feel.
If the downtown parade is moved back into the Loop, the parade can regain that big city feel. It will showcase our Loop and it's great buildings. Any old-timers here will attest to the fact that the downtown parade was much better when it was held in the Loop.
If the downtown parade is held on a weekend day--e.g., on the weekend before St. Patrick's Day--then it can avoid major disruption in Loop business. Mayor Daley, are you listening?
No, he's not. When was the last time he listened to us, anway? All we do is vote and pay taxes.
I can't say that I blame them. I've been attending the parade since I was a kid, probably since about 1981, and it has long since ceased to be an event I enjoyed attending with my family (when it was actually a family event) to an event I wanted to skip because it is awkward hanging out with your family watching drunken frat boys puke on their girlfriend's shoes while trying to explain to a disgusted 8 year old what the hell was wrong with those people. This past year was probably the worst I've seen it in awhile because of the nice weather.
I agree with Ward Up....I think the answer to allow the downtown parade to return to its traditional Loop location. I'll go one step further, too. The parade should be held on St. Patrick's day, too. Having it on a weekday (when ostensibly most people have to work) will reduce the number of drunks.
I couldn't agree more with you both Ward Up and mss2400.
Me too,
When you see a parade on Columbus Dr. on TV it looks like it could be any old wheres'ville USA.
I totally agree, get rid of all the stupid ethnic parades!
They're a vestige of old time ethnic politics, better known as tribalism.
I particularly hate the bizarre as hell Indian parade on Devon every year!
That one screws up traffic for miles around!
But at least the Park District day camp parade is gone.
That was the one where the PD bused all of its day campers to the Loop & they marched single file down the middle of State Street.
No one & I mean no one watched this idiocy for more than a minute & then they walked away baffled as to why it was happening!
I cannot believe how many parade haters there are! How many of you guys are actually native (born AND raised) Chicagoans? In Chicago, we celebrate our differences in order to understand and embrace them. Yeesh.
This is a city of neighborhoods, devisive at times, maybe, but its a good reminder of how we all come together in this "little" town and get along (most of the time.) I am a south/ west sider who is part latina, black, and german. I have eaten Indo-Paki food on Devon, have had paczykis(sic) on Archer, and pho (sic) on Broadway and I am always delighted when I accidentally stumble on a little 'hood festival or parade.
I always get irked when I hear the phrase "celebrate out differences". In my opinion, we're all aware of the ways in which we're different.
We've been celebrating our differences for a long time now and nothings changed.
What we need to start doing is celebrating the ways in which we're all the same. I think that this is what is going to bring peace and harmony. We're all the same in very fundamental ways...the ways that really connect us.
I love learning about new ideas and cultures and I am with you totally about being excited to be in a new place and stumble upon some ethnic party going on...I'm just sick of the 'celebrate our differences' platitudes. It just doesn't mean anything.
OK that line is a tad cheesy, I should just stick to the learn about our differences idea.
BUT I still think its OK to celebrate who we are be it via our ethnic differences or lifestyle choices.
Amen. Differences shmifferences. Why can't we just have a 4th of July Parade, Thanksgiving and so forth. Celebrate actually being American.
Well I do think Bud Billiken should stay because it’s a back to school parade and it starts early and no body drinks. I do think they need to get ride of the misogynistic dance songs and dance routines and to demonstrate this( message) to the Black community, R. Kelly should be chained and dragged from the back of a float down King Drive. It is the second longest parade in the nation ;-)
Yeah, lets get rid of ALL the ethnic parades. Except mine, of course.
Blue line do you really belive that? But screw it, if you mind is that midwest, chuck em all
That was sarcasm, Mr. Spook. May be too midwestern a concept for you.
No I retract that!
Bud Billiken stays because its about Back to School, has a low crime and is self paid for, The Chinese Parade stays because its the coolest parade and is low crime, the smaller parades should stay as well. All other parades where excessive police are needed( paid for by me the tax payer) because of public intoxication or kids and adults bust'n caps into each other should be moved to Joliet
As someone who grew up on the south side, I'm not too entirely surprised by this. The south side at Beverly is extremely quiet. The people get freaked out when 100,000 people come to visit. Granted, it is a HUGE drunken mess when the parade hits town. But you'd think they would welcome the biznaz of 100,000 people. Doesn't that help the businesses down there? Or do they actually lose money on this event with all the betrunken narrs down there?
I always found it funny how on that day, all of the sudden Beverly becomes a happenin' place to be. And now Beverly doesn't want any part of being happenin'. I guess that's nature of the neighborhood. It's not the north side. It's the quiet and family-based south side.
Also I find this hilarious: "The crowds also have placed an overwhelming burden on local infrastructure, delaying the lone Metra line that serves the area"
Oh no! The Metra can't handle it all! Goodness! We can't add more cars or more trips that day! We can't even think of having extra profit from all these extra riders! Oh no!
Poor Metra. I feel so "bad" for you having to actually service people when they want to ride public transit.
You have obviously never been to the 111th Metra stop at 4:00 in the afternoon on parade day.
They'll probably turn the "parade" into a gated "neighborhood festival." That way, they can do a better job at crowd control (ostensibly) and raise cash. Plus, they can confine those creepy bewigged dancing girls to performance stages in between Mr. Blotto sets and let in vendors selling claddagh toe rings -- just like a normal neighborhood festival! And it would keep bar owners happy.
I support the Committee's decision to suspend this parade 'in its present form'. However, I'd hate to see this fine tradition end simply because of a few issues.
Everyone I've talked to about this parade says the same thing: its all a bunch of kids, they're all drunk and the crowds are out of control.
1. Well, the parade SHOULD be full of kids, that's traditionally who parades are for: families.
2. As for the drunks, they'll always be there, but the lack of police intervention (turning a blind eye to public consumption of alcohol) makes this situation worse.
Solution 1: Crack down on the public consumption (and possibly ban liquor sales on day of parade in the immediate vicinity). I realize this will negatively impact many of the bars along western avenue that depend on this event to generate a large portion of their revenue, but having a license to sell liquor comes with a responsibility to the neighborhood it serves.
Solution 2: The volume of traffic personnel and police officers attending this event represents a large drain on citywide resources: perhaps the taverns and liquor stores should pay a fee to cover their costs in exchange for the privilege to remain open during the parade?
Solution 3: I witnessed dozens of underaged people staggering around drunk at 1pm in the afternoon. The police (and bar owners) should enforce the minimum age restriction. This will cut down on some of the hooliganism that occurs during and after the parade.
Solution 4: Monetize the ability to consume alcohol through the use of wristbands sold by Police Department or Authorized Parade Staff.
Wristbands will cost $10 (fee to go towards parade management) and anyone caught consuming alcohol without a wristband faces an immediate $200 fine. Anyone on the parade route with alcohol on their person without a wristband will face an immediate $200 fine.
This would cut down on the underage drinking, raise funds for future events,
As a southsider and as a person of Irish descent, I'm offended by what this parade has turned into. Although I don't live in the neighborhood, I've been attending this parade for the past ten years. I love a good party as much as the next person, but lets recognize that this event has mutated so far from its original intent that its time to re-evaluate it.
If the person above really is on the parade committee, I hope they'll strongly consider some of the solutions.
Well, this doesn't bode well at all for that South Side Gay Pride parade I was organizing...
They should move the parade so it goes down Prospect or Longwood. That way it's smack in the heart of Beverly and safely away from those havens of alcoholism across Western.
this sucks.... gonna miss the parade