On March 13, thousands of people were draped in their green, white, and orange to celebrate the South Side Irish Parade (SSI). The parade, which stepped off from 103rd and Western at noon, continued down to 115th and Western with people of Irish descent celebrating their lineage as well as Saint Patrick’s Day.

Of course, the parade was not limited to people of Irish heritage alone.  As described in the official website for the parade, people of all different backgrounds from the Beverly and Mount Greenwood neighborhoods come to enjoy “a great time . . . with family and friends, both in neighborhood homes and local establishments.”

Starting in 1979, this year’s parade marked its 35th year in the Beverly neighborhood.  The event, which was suspended in 2009 and brought back in 2012, has made a huge comeback, becoming the second biggest parade outside of Dublin.

While hundreds of floats and marchers parade down the street celebrating the wonderful day, someone has to lead the festivities. This year that job fell to Mount Carmel’s own John McKeown, ’16, who represented “Pat Mac’s Pack,” one of many South Side organizations fighting childhood cancer as Grand Marshall in the parade.

Pat Mac’s Pack became a legitimate nonprofit organization in 2011. The group started with five classmates and now has grown to over 100 supporters.  According to McKeown, “It keeps growing everyday.”

McKeown spoke about the honor of having a leading role in a tradition that he sees as a “pillar of the community,” and felt the experience rated as “a 10 out of 10.”

Although this year’s weather was unpleasant, with rain that persisted through the day and most of the night, masses of people flooded Western Avenue.  McKeown, who was in position to get a great look at the thousands of onlookers, noted that while it “literally rained on our parade,” the weather stopped no one.”