PEORIA, Ill. – On a chilly and windy Sunday afternoon, hundreds lined the streets of downtown Peoria to celebrate being Irish.
The annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade by the St. Patrick Society of Peoria weaved its way through Monroe, Main, and Adams Streets. Around 125 floats participated this year, featuring marching bands, Irish dance troops, and floats focused on extended families.
Parade organizer K.C. Murphy says the parade is an event that everyone wants to be a part of.
“Look at all these people that have come out to celebrate, just to see each other, to celebrate, maybe have a cocktail or three,” Murphy said. “Then we look down this way. Look at all these people who have come to be part of it. It’s something big and everyone wants to participate and that’s what makes it a lot of fun.”
Murphy says the parade is also a chance for people to come together for a few hours and forget all the troubles in the world.
The society names an annual Grand Marshall and Irish Mother of the Year. This year’s Grand Marshall was Tom McConnaughay, a volunteer with Peoria Irish Fest who serves as the head of its Entertainment Committee.
The Irish Mother of the Year was Kathy Tate, and says the honor surprised her.
“We were working out at Global Fest, and the president of the organization came to me, handed me a bouquet, then handed me this beautiful sash, and said ‘You have been awarded Mother of the Year.’ And I was stunned, absolutely stunned,” Tate said.
Tate says there are many deserving women for the honor in Peoria. Tate has helped on many cultural exchanges with Peoria’s sister city, Clonmell, Ireland, and has made several trips there.
The parade is also a tradition for families in the Peoria area. One in particular is the Brophy family, who has marched in the parade for more than 35 years.
Paula Brophy-Davis says marching in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade means a lot to her family.
“Our family’s close anyway, but everybody looks forward to this weekend every year. And not everybody can come all the time, but everybody really tries to make the effort, because we just enjoy each other’s company,” Brophy-Davis said.
Brophy-Davis says nearly 100 family members participated and marched in the family float this year. She says family members came in from as far away as California, Florida, and Colorado.
Brophy-Davis says there’s also a legacy with her family and parades in Peoria, saying her great-great grandfather started a St. Patrick’s Day parade in Peoria in the late-1800’s.
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