Pics, Video Of Naperville's 25th Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade

NAPERVILLE, IL — Naperville sure knows how to throw a parade. Some 10,000 came out Saturday to watch bagpipe players, Irish wolfhounds, and Shriners in tiny cars bring music, merriment, and plenty of green to the streets of downtown Naperville for the 25th Annual West Suburban Irish Parade.

The parade has come a long way since it started in 1993 with a small group of people who donned green and wore shamrocks to march down four city blocks. This year, more than 3,500 participants ride colorful floats in a procession that went through downtown Naperville for more than a mile. You might say this parade has become kind of a big thing.

Kids clad in green tutus and shamrock sunglasses hunkered down along the route to watch more than 90 floats, cars, and entertainers, including the McNulty Irish Dancers, Tunes of Glory Pipes and Drums, and the West Suburban Irish parade king and queen.

Watch a video of the parade below

Marching bands from local high schools kept the energy high as kids scrambled to catch candy and stock up on St.Patrick's Day-themed goodies.

The general consensus from kids was that the best parts of the parade were (in no particular order)

• The candy
• The "guys in little cars"
• The dogs

And there was no shortage of dogs, from rescue Collies clad in bright green scarves to massive Irish wolfhounds and energetic pups who just wanted to march with their owners, the parade's dozens of dogs were definitely a crowd favorite.

The parade wrapped up in just over an hour, but many residents made their way to local shops, bars, and restaurant to keep the early celebration going. Quigley's served up Guinness pints and Irish music long after the last pieces of green confetti fell on this year's phenomenal parade.

Check out some of Patch's favorite photos below and be sure to replay the video to spot some familiar faces.

Patch was reporting live at the parade. Watch the video here:

>>>Images via Lisa Farver/Patch