Green River

The Saturday before St. Patrick's Day is always the official day of celebration in Chicago.  The parade is that day, along with the tradition of dying the river the colors of the Emerald Isle. 

This started 43 years ago by plumbers using dye to detect leaks in the river.  It has always been a privately funded operation, so there are sponsor signage in lots of places.  I have never seen this tradition, but Eric saw it in 2007.  I hopped on the train, packed with green party folks, and made my way to the water's edge for a spot to watch.

The dye is actually orange, so the initial color on the surface starts out strange, but a second boat follows as the "stirring" boat.  And it was pretty funny because I thought the driver was trying to dump the passenger with sharp turns and acting all crazy.

There were a ton of people downtown, more than I've ever seen.  Ever.  Someone said on the radio that 100k make it, then another 100k plus head to the parade.  It was raining, so I bailed on the parade, and went to join friends celebrate the proper way, with a Guinness.