Get To Know Plainfield's Irish Parade Grand Marshal, Princess

PLAINFIELD, IL — In less than two weeks, residents and visitors will take to the streets of downtown Plainfield to celebrate the first Hometown Irish Parade in two years.

All things Emerald Isle will take over Lockport Street March 13, with the parade stepping off at 1 p.m. from Plainfield Central High School. The tradition will once again include bagpipe bands, a high school drumline, several floats and many entertainment acts, including juggling and a gyroscope balancing act.

After a two-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, parade organizers have taken the time to improve aspects of the local spectacle.

RELATED: Hometown Irish Parade Returns To Plainfield After 2-Year Hiatus

"It's freed us up to maybe consider improving the parade a little with more entertainment and some newer idea that we hadn't used in the past," Debbie Olsen, a Village Preservation Association member, told Patch previously.

New this year is a one-mile race that will take place just 20 minutes before the parade steps off from Plainfield Central High School. Participating runners will have 15 minutes — from 12:40 p.m. to 12:55 p.m. — to run a one-mile course almost identical to the parade route.

RELATED: New One-Mile Run Will Kick Off Plainfield Hometown Irish Parade

Ahead of the Hometown Irish Parde, get to know this year's grand marshal and parade princess.

Grand Marshal: Bill Habiger

A Joliet resident who has been investing in Plainfield real estate since 1980, Bill Habiger will serve as grand marshal of the 2022 parade. It was Habiger, teamed up with local developer Carl Bryant, who rebuilt the structure at the southeast corner of Des Plaines and Lockport streets beginning in 1999. Now, HopScotch & Vine anchors the building.

Other projects helmed by the 80-year-old have included the four apartment buildings on the north side of Lockport Street, west of the DuPage River, and the Opera House Block building, which he purchased at a sheriff's sale in 2010.

"Plainfield's a good town," he said, per a Hometown Irish Parade announcement. "I like Plainfield."

According to parade organizers, Habiger knows the impact he has had on Plainfield and considers being parade grand marshal "an honor."

Parade Princess: Elle Thompson

A lifelong Plainfield resident, Elle Thompson has been selected to serve as parade princess March 13. The Village Preservation Association announced Thompson for the role in 2020, but due to cancelations, she wasn't able to participate until this year.

As an Irish dancer and tennis and badminton athlete, Thompson has danced with Weber Irish Dance for 10 years and is preparing to perform the Riverdance solo in an upcoming concert. Currently a student at Plainfield Central High School, Thompson will pursue a career in the medical field, according to parade organizers.

According to the VPA, Thomspon "is a great representative of the Plainfield community."