'A Great Day': Parade Chair Talks South Side Irish Parade

CHICAGO, IL - Parade day is a special time for many who live in the southwest neighborhoods of Chicago and bordering suburbs, but the 2018 version will be a little extra special for Ed Haggerty. After about 15 years of attending the parade and several as a member of the South Side Irish Parade committee, this is the first time Haggerty is serving as the committee chair.

"I might get a little emotional," said Haggerty, a resident of Morgan Park and the St. Cajetan Parish. "Going from being on the sidelines to marching in it and seeing my family there... I know that will be a touching moment."

For Haggerty, serving as the chair involves a lot more work "behind the scenes" than he's used to as a regular member of the committee. The final responsibilities on numerous details have come through him this year.

"It means doing interviews like this, going on TV and leading meetings," he said. "It's an important role also in the sense that every year's parade committee chair needs to keep things moving for the following year in making sure the next person (parade chair) is always in the loop."

The 2018 South Side Irish Parade will include about 125 floats, with the format "pretty much the same as every other year," Haggerty said.

South Side Irish families know the drill. It starts at 103rd and Western at noon and progresses south until about 115th Street. When the parade is over, the parties continue in neighborhood garages and at the many bars on the west side of the street.

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While keeping "the same routine," Haggerty says there will be a few notable additions to the parade lineup this year.

"We'll have a women's roller derby club in the parade and a few other new groups," he said. The final parade lineup is expected to be ready early this week.

Haggerty has been working tirelessly in leading the organization of this year's event. Before the beginning of February, he had a double duty since the Pre-Parade fundraiser at 115 Bourbon Street has always been his event to organize.

"That's my baby," he said. "I thought about asking someone else to do that one this year, but I still wanted to do it."

The early February fundraiser is "always a good time" and once again was "a great time to party" this time around, Haggerty said.

The South Side Irish Parade started in 1979 when a few St. Cajetan neighborhood kids and their parents paraded around the blocks of Washtenaw and Talman, between 109th and 110th streets. It has since ballooned into a nationally known event and by far the biggest celebration of the year in Beverly/Morgan Park. In 2012, the event added a one-mile race known as "The Emerald Isle Mile" held on Western about a half hour before the parade begins.

Since the parade returned after a two-year hiatus earlier this decade, there's been an enforced "zero tolerance" rule when it comes to having alcohol outdoors on the parade route.

Haggerty says that approach, now in its seventh year, "really works."

"We haven't had any arrests since the parade came back and we're proud of that," he said. "We come out and enjoy the parade, then go back into the homes and garages and party there."

It's a neighborhood celebration. And you don't have to be from the neighborhood to take part. Quoting the great local songwriter Terry McEldowney, "If you're Irish on the North Side or Irish on the West... Welcome to the South Side, come join our Irish fest."

"People come from all over for this parade," Haggerty said. "They see what it's like to live here and celebrate our Irish heritage."

While the parade tradition has stayed consistent over many years, the weather has not. Being held in March, Parade Day has seen temperatures range from the low 80s to below 20. There's been plenty of rain, some snow and thankfully a good percentage of sunny days.

This year's early forecast calls for overcast skies and a chance of rain or even snow, but that surely won't keep the South Side Irish from ascending on Western Avenue.

"We're looking for a great turnout," Haggerty said. "We can't wait to see the smiles on all the kids faces and the happy families that use this time to get together."

"It's a great day for the neighborhood."

Photo: Ed Haggerty near the corner of 103rd and Western. Photo by Kim Swanson