2012 St. Patrick's Day Parade Downtown Naperville Saturday March 17, 2012 10:00 am

Céad míle fáilte!

PARADE NEWS:

Registrations for the Parade are now being accepted!

The registration fee for a business, political candidate or political group is $120 if registered by February 18, 2012.

The registration fee for a family or not-for-profit group is $20 if registered by February 18, 2012.

Register online for fastest and easiest registration:

Registration may also be made by mail. The form is HERE.

PARADE SPONSORS: Sponsors of the Parade donating $250 or more will have the privilege of being placed in the first 30 spots in the Parade lineup. (Limited to 20 sponsors.) Sponsorship includes Parade entry fee!

Show your Irish in a big way, and take advantage of our Combo Deal for the best savings and best placement in the Parade.

The Combo Deal includes sponsorship of the Parade, one Parade entry with preferred placement in the first part of the Parade lineup, two tickets to the WestSuburban Irish Emerald Dinner on March 3, 2012, and a full-page ad in the Emerald Dinner program book.

Cost: $400 / Savings of $200 on the Combo Deal!

Applications are now being accepted for the 2012 St. Patrick's Day Parade Queen.

Thanks to Parade Sponsor Argus Brewery for its generous support of the Parade.

2011 Prize-winning Entries:

Most Irish: Weber Irish Dancers

Best Float: Casey's Foods

Most Colorful: Anderson's Bookstores

Crowd Favorite: Aurora Area Shrine Club

Best New Entry: Classic Cavaliers

Outstanding Youth Group: McNulty Irish Dancers

Outstanding Musical Group: Majestic Star Drumline

Best Four-legged Entry: Edward Hosptial Animal-Assisted Therapy

Queen's Choice: Houlihan Clan

Founder's Award: Southside Irish Relocated

2011 Parade Queen Named!

The West Suburban Irish Parade Queen for 2011 is Hayley Gillespie.

Hayley is a student at West Chicago Community High School.  She is very proud of her Irish heritage, tracing her grandparents to Counties Mayo, Donegal, Tyrone and Clare. Hayley volunteers at school, with her parish, and in her community. She hopes to pursue a career in Elementary Education.

Our Queen will be attended by Allison Scharf, a student at St. Francis High School.

2011 Grand Marshal Announced!

We are pleased to announce that Sister Jeanne Haley, administrator of St. Patrick's Residence in Naperville, will serve as honorary Grand Marshal of this year's St. Patrick's Day Parade, sponsored by the West Suburban Irish. Sister Jeanne has been the administrator of St. Patrick’s Residence for 8 years and a Carmelite Sister for forty years. Her father’s family hailed from Ireland where the family’s name was O’Healy. Sister Jeanne was raised in a very Irish household where St. Patrick’s Day was celebrated with prayer and a lot of tradition. When Sister Jeanne was old enough to have kitchen duty at home, St. Patrick’s Day found dinner time interesting. She would put green food coloring in everything from the cottage cheese to the potatoes, which brought complaints from members of her family.
	Sister kept her Irish roots in the forefront of her life’s journey, joining the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm, an Irish religious community whose Foundress was Mother Angeline Teresa McCrory who was born in Ireland. Mother Angeline came to New York where she joined the Little Sisters of the Poor. Years later, she and six other brave Sisters left that order to begin the Carmelite Sisters. Sister Jeanne has held fast to Mother Angeline’s Mission of caring for the elderly with love, respect and dignity.
She says she is Blessed to be at St. Patrick’s Residence, Nursing and Rehabilitation and to be a part of the wonderful Naperville community.   St. Patrick's Residence will participate in the Parade, showcasing their "Nuns on the Run" bed race team. Info about St. Patrick's Residence can be found at its website, www.stpatricksresidence.org. Here, Sister Jeanne celebrates St. Patrick's Day with former Grand Marshal, Ray Kinney and his son, J.R.

NCTV17 will be taping the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Naperville News 17’s Dolly McCarthy and WSI parade founder Kevin Dolan bring you all the parade coverage.  Watch on Channel 17 in Naperville, or through simultaneous video streaming at www.NCTV17.com.   

Check out our pictures from the 2010 Parade and prior years.