St. Patrick’s Day: How Plainfield Celebrates Amid Pandemic

PLAINFIELD, IL — The traditional parades, festivals, races and large parties that often mark the St. Patrick’s Day season and celebrate Irish heritage this month will again mostly not take place this year as the coronavirus pandemic approaches the one-year mark.

In Plainfield, there are usually several kinds of events from special meals to parades. One of the most popular events is the Plainfield Hometown Irish Parade that began as a simple one-block community affair and grew from there. However, for the second time in a row, the organizers have decided to cancel it this year due to COVID-19 health risks.

Despite the current health crisis, people are finding innovative ways to celebrate this day in Plainfield with the following:

• The Plainfield Park District is hosting a St. Patrick's Day Luncheon on March 17 from 12-2 p.m. at the Plainfield Township Community Center. Guests can either choose curbside pick up or dine-in options. The feast will include corned beef, cabbage, carrot coins, parsley butter potatoes and rye bread individually packaged with a little green treat for dessert. If eating in is your option, enjoy some socializing with games after lunch. Registration Deadline is March 8. Visit here for more details.
• McBrides Pub & Grille, 7162 Caton Farm Road, will celebrate St. Patrick's Day March 13-14 with bag pipers, Irish dancers, Irish food and drinks. See here for more details.
• Champions Sports Bar, 2049 S. Route 59, will host a St. Paddy's Food Drive on March 13. Guests can get a free beer with a donation of three or more canned goods.
• Join the St. Patrick's Day Bash at the Plainfield Moose Lodge from 5 p.m. on March 20. There will be live music, food and a raffle.
• Uptown Plainfield is also offering Irish-themed drinks and food items on March 13.

Many of 2020’s St. Patrick’s Day celebrations were muted at the last minute as the spread of the virus was declared a global pandemic just six days before the March 17 holiday. This year, with more time to prepare, there’s a different vibe as events go on virtually and in more creative ways.

Among the largest yearly neighborhood Irish celebrations across America is Chicago's South Side Irish Parade, which traditionally steps off on the Sunday before St. Patrick’s Day in the tight-knit Beverly community.

“Around here, the day of the South Side Irish Parade is like having Christmas and your birthday on the same day,” Tim McSweeney, co-chair of the South Side Irish Parade committee, told Patch.

Since city of Chicago officials decided not to grant any parade permits until at least April this year, the popular community parade itself was canceled for the second year in a row. But organizers have turned their disappointment into a way to help the small businesses that have supported the parade for years and have been impacted by the pandemic.

McSweeney and other parade organizers this year created “Shamrock Our Blocks,” a neighborhood decorating contest that will award the most creative displays with gift cards to local businesses.

“This keeps the joy and spirit of the South Side Irish Parade alive, celebrates St. Patrick’s Day responsibly during the pandemic and gives people something fun to do,” McSweeney said.

Residents pay $20 for a “Shamrock Our Blocks” sign to enter the contest, with a chance to win the top prize worth $2,000 — $1,000 in cash and another $1,000 in gift cards — McSweeney said. As of Wednesday, hundreds had been sold.

St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in America date back to 1631, according to National Geographic. Originally declared a feast day, over time the holiday increasingly became associated with the Irish American tradition.

The 2020 St. Patrick’s Day holiday celebrations were the first in some places to be canceled in centuries. New York City’s annual parade was not held for the first time since 1762; and Savannah, Georgia, which also hosts one of the nation’s largest parades, canceled its event for the first time since its 1824 inception.

Not all St. Patrick’s Day parades are canceled this year, though. Some — such as the one in Oak Forest, Illinois — are still on. But Oak Forest's parade will be along a different route to allow for greater spacing among spectators.

For McSweeney and others who love the March parade season, the excitement is already in the air for a return to normal come 2022.

“The Irish have come up against adversity in the past. We are no stranger to hard times,” he said. “But we are also known for making the best of a difficult situation, and that’s what we are trying to do.”