St. Patrick's Day In Aurora: Parade, Irish Flag Raising Planned

AURORA, IL — Aurora will celebrate St. Patrick's Day with its third annual Sham-Rock the Block Celebration March 16.

The day before the observed Irish holiday, the city will host the Daniel D. Dolan St. Patrick's Day Parade and an Irish flag-raising ceremony.

The parade is set to step off at 11 a.m. at the corner of Water Street and Downer Place. For about an hour, the procession will head west on Downer and end at Stolp Avenue.

The flag raising will occur right after in front of the G.A.R. Museum, 20 E. Downer Place. The Dolan family — the first to receive Mayor Richard Irvin's Emerald Excellence award in 2022 — will lead the ceremony.

The parade is named after one of the founders of real estate company Dolan & Murphy Inc. in the 1960s. Irvin has referred to the family as "iconic" and said the real estate company "changed the face of our city," according to a report from the Chicago Tribune.