This Saturday in Rockford marks the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in downtown Rockford, plus the afterparty Paddy Fest in Loves Park.
On this weeks WNIJ Community Spotlight, Morning Edition host Jason Cregier is joined by Dick Gorman, of the Irish Marching Society, to discuss the day’s festivities and fun.
This year will be the 49th St. Patrick’s Day Parade in downtown Rockford, with the first being held in 1976.
The Parade was canceled during 2020 due to the COVID pandemic, but Gorman says they still felt like St. Patrick’s Day because of all the planning and time that went into that event.
With a long-standing tradition near 50 years, many people have come and participated in Rockford's St. Patrick’s Day since the very beginning. According to Gorman, “Many of the families bring their clan and their stories.”
As many northern Illinois residents are aware, the weather in March can be varied. Gorman says many longtime parade attendees talk about the weather from past years.
“They’ve marched in a snowstorm when Rockford received 8 inches of snow," he said, "to when it was 80 degrees.”
Gorman says stories such as weather of days past add to the lore of the parade, as well as seeing familiar faces and friends each year.
Gorman compares this to a “family within a family."
“As people register in the parades," he said, "they're called clans in Ireland. It’s not necessarily just families, they’re a clan. It’s families within families. Some families have merged over time as they’ve married into other families from parade attendees, which then adds to larger groups.”
As the parade has evolved over the years, so too have the floats. A local favorite, and past winner of best float, is Tabs on The Rock.
The parade route itself starts at 3 p.m. at the Rockford Public School building on Seventh St., then heads down to State St. and ends at Water St.
The afterparty, Paddy Fest, takes place at Loves Park City Hall at the conclusion of the parade. Paddy Fest features traditional Irish folk music and food. Gorman says the group Emerald Wind will be among the featured musical acts this year.
“They play harp and the flute," he said, "it's beautiful music.”
Paddy Fest is expected to run from about 4:30 p.m. until 7 or 7:30 p.m. An entrance fee of ten dollars will be applied for adults, with free admission to children 12 years of age and younger.
The St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Rockford kicks off on Saturday, March 15 at 3 p.m. at the Rockford Public Library Building.
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For more information on Rockford's St. Patrick's Day festivities, visit Irish Marching Society
