CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The South Side Irish Parade may be canceled because of COVID-19 for a second straight year, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be fun in the neighborhood.
"Last year was a kick in the gut and to have it happen twice is just awful," Mary Jo Viero, executive director of the Beverly Area Planning Association, said Friday.
Nineteenth Ward Alderman Matt O'Shea agrees the event cancelation is devastating and “another difficult blow” for area businesses.
Still, all will not be quiet on the weekend of March 13 and 14.
People in the community are expected to plan celebrations of their own, a past staple of parade day. And the parade committee is working on alternatives to "promote faith, family and heritage,” O’Shea said. some of that will be done online, he said.
Viero said her organization will help small businesses adapt to the circumstances. One idea is to sell a “South Side Irish Party Pack,” designed for four people, at $100 each. The baskets will include items such as Irish soda bread, corned-beef sandwiches and locally produced beverages, she said.
Viero says there may be some way to do live music for people to enjoy.
"The parade committee’s working on a house-decorating contest which will be fun,” she added. “I think shamrocks are the first sign of spring so anytime we can see those, we’re happy."
The cancelation of the parade is disappointing, Ald. O’Shea, but the best is yet to come.
”It certainly will make us want 2022’s parade to be that much more special,” he said.
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