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Issue date: 4/29/09 Section: News

Media Credit: inyourfacechicago.com

Thirty-one years ago, two families decided that they wanted to show off their Irish heritage by throwing a little parade on the southside of Chicago.

Well, that little get together on St. Patrick's Day has turned into a 300,000 person spectacle of wayward drunken shenanigansis.

And to either the 300,000 person aspect or the drunken shenanigansish part of the equation, the South Side Irish St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee decided against a 2010 parade, at least in its current form in March.

There was talk that Beverly's neighbor to the east, Evergreen Park, would take the reins of the parade.

However, Mayor James Sexton said a survey done by the village showed residents were split 50-50 on the question as to whether or not to take on the parade, but that idea was quickly shot down by the residents in April who did not overwhelmingly support the idea.

As the parade routinely drew over 300,000 people, a collection of issues arose that strained both the host community of Beverly as well as individuals charged with effectively managing the crowds. Consequently, the amount of resources required to hold the parade that had turned into an international event had become overwhelming to the community.

The committee said it plans to revamp the event into a "series of alternate events that will return us to what the parade's founders had in mind." Parade coordinator, Jim McKeever said the committee wants to bring the parade back to what it was when it first began. What these events are has yet to be determined, but these series of events will likely take place over a number of days as to alleviate the size of potential crowds on one specific day.

Another element, aside from the number of parade enthusiasts, was the number of arrests at this year's parade as well as past events.

Parade committee member Mary Beth Sheehan said, "We just wish those who behaved in a different manner would keep in mind that this is a neighborhood to homes for tens of thousands of people. It's frustrating to us. There's no reason to drink like that. It's disturbing."

This aspect is just another component of the decision by the committee to cancel, in its present form, the staple on the southside.

The parade was an eagerly anticipated annual event which celebrated families, many of whom have created decade's long traditions of attending the parade, Irish heritage and a proud history of the southside that will have to continue in some shape or form.

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