Despite, as the Irish put it, a “dirty looking sky,” temperatures in the high 30s and later, a little snow, spirits still ran high at Saturday’s Working Families Archer Avenue St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
After years of participating in Chicago’s famed downtown parade, Operating Engineers Local 150 President Jim Sweeney decided a more family friendly St. Pat’s parade was needed.
The first Southwest Side took place in 2015 and honored workers and families and was sponsored by Local 150 and the Clear Ridge Men’s Social Athletic Club.
Over the years, the parade has grown and now attracts thousands of attendees. This year there were 90 floats, construction equipment and parade entrants.
“We have a great mix,” Sweeney said. “We have everything from Brownie troops to expensive equipment and a lot of hard-working people from the neighborhood supporting the parade’s cause, labor, not just the St. Pat’s celebration.”
The annual parade also lauded fallen heroes and honorary Grand Marshals Chicago Police Officer Krystal Rivera and Firefighter Captain David Meyer.
The event stepped off promptly at noon on the corner of Archer and Oak Park avenues.
What makes southwest side culture different from any other neighborhood in Chicago is its resident population that represents a large part of the city’s labor force, according to Sweeney, whose parents immigrated from Ireland making him a living example of the Southwest Side’s immigrant culture and tradition.
“Growing up and living on the Southwest Side is that it’s a small town in the third largest city in the country,” Sweeney said. “You grow up in parishes. We always and still do identify by what parish we’re from or what parish we live in.”
Sweeney said he doesn’t think any other big cities identify neighborhood populations in that way.
“We are small communities that have cradled working people and given them an affordable life,” he said. “My parents both came here from Ireland and had nothing with them. They came here to this town and built a life. It’s a story we still hear from immigrants coming today.”
Still, celebrating societal culture was not the only thing on Sweeney’s mind.
New to the parade this year were some of the largest cranes in the Chicago market, he said.
“These are multi-million dollar pieces of equipment used to hoist everything from steel to build houses to air conditioners you see on top of towers,” Sweeney said. “Most of these cranes are mobile and come up to a job site and hydraulically unfold like a butterfly coming out of a cocoon. They can lift 500 tons up 10 stories high in the air.”
One Stevenson crane featured in the parade can be viewed in action on TikTok.
Vital to the Chicago market, the cranes keep costs down for building construction or repair, he said.
Garfield Ridge Neighborhood Watch President Al Cacciottolo was also in attendance.
“Our community is so filled with union workers, whether they be police, fire, city workers or tradesmen,” he said. “It’s so important to get everyone from the community out and either walk in the parade or stand on the sidelines and cheer parade entrants.”
Cacciottolo said the parade shows area pride and the cohesiveness of a community that takes care of and looks out for one another.
Annual parade sponsor Ald. Silvana Tabares (23rd) was thankful for Local 150’s hard work year after year.
“They bring organized labor to the parade and all the event proceeds go to our first responders,” she said. “These are the men and women that build things in our city, our bridges, infrastructure and they’re building this parade on the southwest side. Because of that, this neighborhood’s better.”
Chicago Federation of Labor President Bob Reiter, whose organization was another parade sponsor, attended the event personally.
“Chicago has no shortage of St. Patrick’s Day parades,” he said. “This one is really special to the folks who are from, grew up and return to the Southwest Side of Chicago.”
Reiter grew up on Archer Avenue closer to Lockport, and mused about what makes the Southwest Side different from the rest of the city.
“A number of things,” he said. “The Southwest Side has one of the best Atomic cakes! People talk about Chicago bungalow belts; some of the best bungalows are in this area. We take a lot of pride in the diverse working class’ ethic in this part of the city.”
Reiter noted large numbers of city workers who work in public safety and others who deliver vital services to the city come from the Southwest Side.
“Down here it’s like a microcosm of the City of Chicago,” he said. “This part of the city is as much of a small town neighborhood as anywhere else in the country that’s still part of something bigger.”
Long-time supporter Ald. Marty Quinn (13th) was in a hurry to get in line for the start of the parade.
“This parade’s fantastic,” he said. “It represents the backbone of the City of Chicago. The folks here show up every day to make this city run and that’s what it’s all about.”
Robert Valdez, a Local 150 operating engineer apprentice, has attended for the last three years and was at the parade with his son Robert, Jr. and a friend.
Valdez talked about the importance of being able to make a livable wage and the long-time contributions of the large Latino working force in Chicago.
“Times are hard, so having a good wage is beneficial for myself, my family and the neighborhoods” he said. ”Latinos have been working citizens and hard workers that helped build this city. Everywhere you go you see representation of our very huge community. And, our excellent food is always a plus!”
Neighborhood resident and geologist Britten Adams watched the parade with a friend and his son August while waiting for his wife to return.
“I have lived in the neighborhood for about 10 years,” he said. “I’ve been to this parade twice before and it’s grown. We’re just hanging out with the kids who are in the grade schools here. It’s an event that’s fun and close to the house; we don’t have to go downtown. My daughter, who’s not here right now, can hang out with her friends. We’re just enjoying the good times.”
The parade generates a good amount of money for the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation for its “Get Behind the Vest” initiative and the Ende, Menzer, Walsh & Quinn Retirees’ Widows’ and Children’ s Assistance Fund.
Funds raised from last year’s parade allowed Local 150, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 134, and the Chicago Laborer’s District Council to donate $60,000 to both endowments.
Special recognition by parade organizers went to state Rep. Angelica Guerrero-Cuellar (D-22nd), Ald. Silvana Tabares (23rd), Ald. Marty Quinn (13th), the Fraternal Order of Police Chicago, Lodge 7, the Chicago Federation of Labor and over 30 additional trade unions, businesses, restaurants and veterans organizations.
Proceeds from this year’s parade will be donated to the “Get Behind the Vest” program that supplies bullet-proof vests to Chicago police officers and the EMQW Retirees Widows and Children’s assistance fund helping families of fallen firefighters.
