The End of an Era

It is a sad day. Well, it was a sad day a few days ago. I was sitting on my couch with this very laptop watching Fox News on TV. I had caught it at the very beginning of the program when they are running through the big stories that they will cover this hour. That is when I heard it, "after 31 years, the South Side Irish Parade is no more." My jaw dropped to the floor. I mean come on, I had just written a post about how the activities of that day made me feel better about everything going on right now. And now they want to take that away from me? Haven't we as a people suffered enough to help the banks and the auto industry keep their heads above water? Haven't we been punished enough by the highest sales tax in the Country? What about the fact that we have to just sit by and watch as every one of our politicians is found to be corrupt and fight till the very end while wasting the state's money? Or maybe the fact that the city is slowly leasing away pieces of itself to the extent that in 20 years, the city probably won't run any of the city?

Apparently this wasn't enough. Now the South Side Irish Parade is done. For those of you that have been to the parade before, you know how much fun it can be. Granted your in an area that cabs don't travel to and there is very little public transit to get you back when your tanked, its a good time if you plan it right. There are tons of people that come down to see the actual parade. They stand by the road and watch with their kids as the bagpipers and the floats go by. The kids smile and laugh as the leprechauns walk by and a Dalmatian sits on the fire truck. Parents take pictures of their kids enjoying the parade and shots of the crowds to give the future photo album some idea of the days events.

Earlier that morning, the Metra train stopped at 107th Street station. And their we were. The hundreds of thousands of drinkers that were coming down to support the South Side Irish Parade and the bars that surround it. We step off the train in slow motion, almost a montage of a clown car style exit. Crowds exiting the train all sporting green t-shirts, beads, hats, kilts, and everything else you can imagine. We make our way to Western Ave and start picking out where we will drink for the day. Many stop to get something to eat at a local restaurant or at least the closest Dunkin Donuts. The sidewalks are alive with sober and drunken activity. There are street vendors selling t-shirts and hats, parents are walking the route to figure out the best place to watch the parade pass, whole groups of friends stumble down the sidewalk towards their favorite bar, and other drinkers wait patiently in line for bars and entertain themselves by telling drinking stories from St Patrick's Day past.

They say that the attendance of the South Side Parade has gone from a small neighborhood celebration to a huge party of 300,000 people. Which is understandable if you have ever walked the sidewalks during the parade. This is a main reason that the Parade has been suspended indefinitely. The Parade and its audience have outgrown the neighborhood that tries to contain it. It is a sad fact that so many people enjoyed this event and that is the reason of its demise.

But none-the-less it is done. I have to say that I am torn. I am very sad that the South Side Irish Parade is gone. As a transplant from Michigan, this was one of the first Chicago events that I ever attended once I moved here. It was a great event for me. The first time that I got to go out with friends and enjoy something that is exclusively Chicago. It was great. The Committee that plans the parade has come out to say that they will be coming up with a more neighborhood style "alternative" set of events to replace the parade. But I will not attend these events. I want to remember the South Side Irish Parade the way it was.

Its over. Its done. I am just happy that I have been able to enjoy this landmark event for the last three years. It has been a pleasure and I want to thank all the members of the South Side Irish St Patrick's Day Parade Committee for all of their hard work over the years. It is especially sad for me though that this event is no more. As I mentioned in the opening paragraph, this is a very tough time for a lot of people. There are very few escapes for people to enjoy before they head home to their pile of bills and news stories that seem to take away all hope for the future. Its scary in today's world that the people have a hand in their pocket at all times to help struggling companies that are arguably to blame for their own problems and at the same time be stripped of the things that are family/friend traditions that help bring people together and just pain have some fun.

Thank you South Side Irish Parade for the memories and liver damage. You will not be forgotten.