PEORIA, Ill. – An Irish tradition weaved its way through the streets of downtown Peoria on Tuesday.
The 45th annual Saint Patrick’s Day parade took place, marching its way through Main St.
For parade organizer K.C. Murphy, one of his favorite parts of the parade is before everything kicks off down Monroe St.
“I call this the biggest block party in Peoria every year,” Murphy said. “We got about 14 different blocks filled with cars, people having fun.”
Murphy says more than 100 floats participated in this year’s parade, with some of the more notable entries including elaborate floats from Irish families, local Irish organizations, and even the state champion Peoria Manual boys’ basketball team on top of a fire truck.
Crowds along Main St. were a little less than in years past, with some staying warm inside the lobbies of nearby hotels. Wind chills were in the single digits during the parade.
This year’s grand marshall was West Peoria Mayor Jim Dillon, and the Mother of the Year Kay Grillot.
Dillon was honored for his roles in the Irish community in the tri-county area, which includes memberships in the St. Patrick Society, Friends of Clonmel, and Ancient Order of Hibernians.
Grillot called being named Mother of the Year a “tremendous honor.” She was honored for her role in the Saint Patrick Society and the Tazewell Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians.
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