Greener Than Green River Soda!
Is it a celebration of Irish heritage or an excuse to party? It’s probably both. Parties, bar crawls, and parades are held worldwide celebrating St. Patrick’s Day.
The history of St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago dates back more than 175 years. Now a longstanding tradition, Chicago’s Irish parade was first held in 1843 becoming an official city event in the 1950s. Along with the downtown festivities, Chicago’s proud Irish heritage is also on full display in multiple neighborhoods.
Since 1962, Chicago has dyed the east branch of the Chicago River neon green in a now iconic annual celebration. Thousands of people line the Riverwalk and crowd Chicago’s bridges to glimpse the phenomenon. It’s typically held at 10 a.m. the Saturday before St. Patrick’s Day and is followed by the downtown parade.
Crews from the Chicago Plumbers Union Local 130 create a spellbinding spectacle spreading the dye from boats in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. The best views of the newly colored river are from Upper Wacker Drive between Columbus and Fairbanks.
iPhone shot from the Michigan Avenue bridge.
The event started thanks to serendipity. In 1961 Stephen Bailey, business manager of the Chicago Plumbers Local 130, was approached by a plumber.
His normally white coveralls were heavily stained (or dyed) the perfect shade of Irish green. When Bailey asked how his coveralls got this way, he learned that the dye used to detect leaks into the river colored the fabric that special color.
That's when Mr. Bailey bellowed, “Call the mayor…we will dye the Chicago River green!” That first 1962 river dyeing turned the waters green for nearly a month. Currently, the color only lasts for a few hours. The union’s environmentally friendly dye formula remains a closely held secret.
The Shot
I had never witnessed the event, so fellow photographer Jon Christofersen and I headed downtown last Saturday. In retrospect, we should have left earlier as the traffic and crowds made for slow going.
After trying in vain to find a place to launch our drones in the Columbus/Fairbanks area, we hiked west to Wolf Point at the convergence of the north, south, and east branches of the Chicago River. It was easy to launch drones from there, but signal interference from the buildings limited our range.
I enjoyed this view the most. After the drone landed, we made our way back to our parked car. I should have brought my regular camera as the St. Patrick’s Day revelers were as colorful as the river!
Thanks for looking,
Chuck Derus