It’s almost parade day, the annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration and march down Madison Street in Forest Park. This year’s event takes place on March 7, kicking off at 1 p.m. The parade will begin at Madison Street and Van Buren Street and travel east on Madison Street to Elgin Avenue.
This year, the Forest Park Chamber of Commerce is bringing a few new additions to the event.
First, the chamber will be selling Forest Park merchandise, including winter hats and hoodies. Look for their booth in the Constitution Court parking lot. At the same location, you can get information about the chamber’s new residential chamber memberships.
And this year, the chamber is hosting a pre-party on March 6 at Healy’s, 7321 Madison St., at 7 p.m., with the ceremonial cake cutting at 7:30 p.m. Cake will be provided by The Brown Cow.
This Saturday will be the 25th anniversary of the town’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The 2020 parade lineup boasts over 60 entries, including bagpipers, marching bands, Irish dancers, local businesses, Medina Shriner parade units, local police and fire departments and much more.
The crowds are expected to swell into the thousands, and so far, the weather’s looking promising for parade day. Grab a spot along the parade route outdoors or find an indoor location to watch the festivities.
Many of the bars along Madison Street are opening at 10 a.m. and are offering a wide variety of food and drink specials.
