Blackhawks Friday Parade To Start At United Center, End At Grant Park
By Chuck Sudo in News on Jun 26, 2013 1:30PM
While we’re still waiting on the details of the Friday parade to celebrate the Blackhawks Stanley Cup championship, we do know where it will begin and end.
The route will launch from the United Center at 10 a.m. and end with a rally 11 a.m. at Grant Park’s Hutchinson Field. Expect traffic jams and packed buses and trains as people flock downtown to bask in the glow of the Stanley Cup.
As for who will pick up the tab, Mayor Emanuel said the city would “put on a proper celebration,” “work through the issues” of how to pay for the parade and “think of the alternative, if they had not won.”
“They went 24 games without a loss … to start the season. And then to the [playoffs.] Go back when they were playing Detroit and they were down 3-1. ... It’s an incredible story of what happened — not just in the season but in the playoffs. And in that last game, everybody was high-fiving because we tied the game. Did anybody think we’d end up as champions within a breath?” the mayor said.
The $200,000 cost of the Blackhawks 2010 parade and rally was underwritten by sponsors including ComEd, Bud Light, the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) and Harris Bank. Expect even more sponsors for the proper celebration Emanuel envisions, which he also said would be “like like ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’” for the entire city.
Metra spokesman Michael Gillis is already warning riders of crowded trains and the agency has already started selling a $5 unlimited ticket ride good for Friday only.