St. Patrick’s Day parades in St. Charles and East Dundee have been canceled amid coronavirus concerns, organizers said Wednesday.
The announcements came just hours after the city of Chicago said it would not be holding the downtown St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the South Side Irish Parade, Northwest Irish Parade or dyeing the Chicago River green, as has been the city’s tradition.
Jenna Sawicki, executive director of the St. Charles Business Alliance, said calling off their parade and run was a “heartbreaking” decision to make.
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“Ultimately we have to keep the community’s best interest in mind,” Sawicki said. “We decided to be proactive to make sure we are not furthering the spread of the coronavirus.”
All parade entries and participants will be contacted by the Alliance staff.
The St. Charles Day parade is an annual tradition that attracts an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 people annually to downtown Main Street, officials said.
“We were keeping our eye on all St. Patrick’s parades scheduled to go on,” she said. “When Chicago’s (parades were canceled) we knew that we had to have a hard conversation. It was a hard decision. We all have heavy hearts while we notify people involved in the parade.”
The same is true for the Thom McNamee Memorial St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which draws an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 people to downtown East Dundee every year, Village President Lael Miller said in a release. The decision to cancel is “bittersweet,” he said.
“While we all know how important the Thom McNamee Memorial Dundee St. Patrick’s Day Parade located in the heart of East Dundee is to our residents, visitors and the local economy, we must always stay mindful of the necessary steps that need to be taken to keep the public safe,” Miller said in the release.
The McNamee Family Foundation, which organizes the parade, issued a similar statement.
“It is our sincere wish to reschedule our parade and will keep you all up to date as those plans come together,” organizer Eileen McNamee said in a separate news release. “Please take care of yourselves.”
Parade organizers met Tuesday to discuss whether the festivities should be canceled.
Speaking in an interview Wednesday, McNamee said organizers met Tuesday to discuss the situation in the wake of the growing number of cases and escalated warnings about group events from the Centers for Disease Control.
“Everybody wants the parades to go on, but we want to do what’s best for the community and community health,” McNamee said.
A new date for the event will be selected but they want to wait a few months before selecting one and to ensure it doesn’t conflict with other East Dundee events, she said.
Also canceled is the annual Dublindee Kilted-5K Run, which was to be held Saturday morning as a fundraiser for F.I.S.H. Food Pantry and Friends of the Fox River. The race may be rescheduled for a future date, organizers said online.
No decision has been made as to whether a St. Patrick’s Day fireworks show scheduled for March 21 in East Dundee will proceed as planned.
The Centers for Disease Control has advised against holding large gatherings like parades to prevent the spread of the virus. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. surpassed 1,000 Wednesday, with 25 reported in Illinois.
With more than 120,000 cases and 4,300 deaths worldwide, the World Health Organization said Wednesday that the outbreak can now be characterized as a pandemic.
Yorkville’s St. Patrick’s Day parade, festival and 5K run are still scheduled for Saturday, organizer Tim Gleason said in an email. The festivities begin with the 5K run at 9 a.m. near Southbank Original BBQ, 129 E Hydraulic St. A live Irish band will perform prior to the parade, which starts at 11 a.m. at Riverfront Park.