The St. Charles St. Patrick’s Parade scheduled for Saturday has been canceled due to concerns about the coronavirus outbreak.
The St. Charles Business Alliance’s St. Patrick’s Parade Committee announced the decision Wednesday following the news that the Chicago St. Patrick’s parade and the Chicago South Side St. Patrick’s parade were being canceled.
St. Charles Business Alliance Executive Director Jenna Sawicki said it was a difficult decision.
“We wanted to preserve this community event to continue the St. Patrick’s Parade tradition,” Sawicki said in a press release. “We are heartbroken, but want to make sure we do our due diligence in keeping everyone safe.”
The parade was scheduled with 90 units marching down Main Street through downtown St. Charles.
An estimated 15,000 to 20,000 people have traditionally attended the parade since it began nearly 30 years ago.
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While it was a difficult decision to cancel the parade, the safety of the community was the deciding factor, Sawicki said.
“It was a heart-breaking decision,” Sawicki said.
The parade is beloved by many and an economic boost to restaurants and retailers, she said.
Two confirmed coronavirus cases in Kane and McHenry counties were announced Tuesday by the Illinois Department of Public Health.
“Ultimately we have to keep the community’s best interest in mind. We decided to be proactive to make sure we are not furthering the spread of the coronavirus,” she said.
The St. Charles Business Alliance happened to have a board meeting Wednesday morning when they decided to cancel the parade.
“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.”
Her team Wednesday was notifying people who had made arrangements to participate in the event, including the parade marshals Bob and Sue McDowell. The St. Charles couple own McDowell Remodeling.
“We’ll have them as parade marshals next year,” Sawicki said.
The majority of units are local civic and business groups along with Celtic pipe bands from throughout the region.
“The parade brings out the crowds and the restaurants and retailers benefit from having the crowds in the downtown. It’s always a good weekend. It’s heart-breaking for them as well,” she said of the parade’s cancellation.
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.