You know what they say: Parades and St. Charles go together like potato and cabbage.

Did you know that the city’s first documented parade occurred more than a century ago?

On July 4, 1918, locals came together to celebrate 100 years of Illinois statehood. That same year, jubilant residents marched down Main Street to celebrate the end of World War I.

Various other parades during the subsequent decades celebrated everything from national holidays to local milestones.

The St. Patrick’s Day Parade we’ll enjoy this weekend has been part of the local culture since 1999. Floats glide down the street, folks pay tribute to walking units of veterans and Celtic pipe bands help create a wholesomely Irish vibe.

Here’s what else you can expect this weekend:

We’re still 10 days out from the actual holiday, but the annual St. Paddy’s extravaganza in St. Charles happens a week early.

Let’s break down this Saturday’s festivities:

Morning activities: The Shamrockin' St. Charles includes an 8K run/walk (about five miles) that kicks off at 10AM followed by a celebration at Pollyanna Brewing from 11AM-1PM.

For those who’d prefer a root canal to a run, there’s a one-mile family fun walk as well.

The parade: Following the opening ceremony celebration at 11AM, thousands will converge at 2PM on Main Street for the parade itself. Expect more than 70 floats and lots of green.

Family fun: Folks can scour the town in search of 20 hidden shamrocks for a chance to win prizes. This year there’s also a Lucky Photo Station along the river across from Pollyanna offering festive photo ops.

Several local businesses will be offering sales and specials throughout the day as well.

St. Patrick’s Day Watch Party: Rock ‘N Ravioli Restaurant (inside the Arcada Theatre) will be dishing out a traditional Irish lunch to go with live music and raffles from 12-4PM.

St. Pat’s Parade Celebration: The Filling Station in downtown St. Charles will be offering food and drink specials from 12-9PM and a front-row seat for the action on Main Street.

St. Patrick’s Day Parade @ Dukes Northwoods: Sip on green beer, enjoy a live DJ and snag one of the best views in town starting at 2PM.

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☑️ Sanctuary county: The Kane County Board issued a statement saying that the matter of declaring Kane County a sanctuary county has not yet been addressed by the full board.

☑️ Worthwhile investment: The Batavia Foundation — a nonprofit that supports the local school system — awarded more than $17K in grants to individuals who will spearhead projects to benefit students and the community.

☑️ Early voting expands: Kane County voters can head to any of these permanent polling sites to cast a ballot from now through March 18.

🔒 Healthy fire: Prescribed burns are the modern version of an ancient process for maintaining healthy ecosystems — and they’re being put to good use in our area.

☑️ Spring sale: Registration is now open for the Geneva city-wide garage sale in late April — why not turn spring cleaning into some extra pocket cash?

🔒 Future planning: Geneva City Council approved private property utility easements on 3rd Street to upgrade the electric infrastructure in that area.

☑️ Lift station update: The City of St. Charles reported that work on the new Riverside Lift Station (and demolition of the old one) is progressing to plan, with the Jones Law Office (the small building on the left) having moved to an improved location.

☑️ Not-so-polar plunge: Hundreds of local residents came to see St. Charles police officers and firefighters take the polar plunge to raise money for the Special Olympics on an unusually warm day.

🔒 Impressive run: Batavia senior girls basketball star Brooke Carlson (bound for Colorado State) finished her high school career as the Bulldogs’ all-time leading scorer.

☑️ Podcast ep: The STC Chamber talks restaurant management, work/life balance and much more with Chris & Megan Curren, owners of The Graceful Ordinary.

☑️ Marking a milestone: Batavia’s Smarty Pants Cafe will be celebrating its one-year anniversary as a local, science-themed destination with special events and giveaways.

As usual, we’ve got more than 40 live music performances to choose from this weekend. Still keeping an eye out for potential performances at D and G Brewing, Craft Urban and a couple of other places.

Other highlights:

Nature lover? The spring issue of The Forest Preserve District of Kane County’s TreeLine Newsletter features a comprehensive list of upcoming seasonal programs for the whole family.

☑️ Second Fridays @ The Arts District | Friday, 6-9PM | Downtown Batavia | Water Street Studios, Kiss the Sky and Hearth & Hammer are joining forces to put on a unique community experience with live music, local art, food/drink and shopping.

🎟️ Swedish Meatball Dinner Benefit | Saturday, 4:30PM | Bethany Lutheran Church, Batavia | See the Children’s Choir perform and enjoy an authentic dinner prepared by a chef from Gothenburg, Sweden — all for a great cause.

☑️ A Conversation with Karin Lin-Greenberg | Sunday, 1:30-3PM | Geneva Library | Karin Lin-Greenberg’s debut novel You Are Here is an inspiring tale of a community's growth. She’ll dive into her characters, writing process and more in this interactive event.

☑️ Meet the Artists | Sunday, 12-5PM | Grainology, Batavia | Mingle with local artists from CatTalpa Manor and peruse local artwork at Batavia’s favorite BrewStillery.

Consider a sponsorship with Tri-Cities Central. Simply reply to this newsletter or email me at [email protected] if you’re interested in discussing newsletter ads, sponsored content or additional marketing services.

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🌤️ Today: High 55F | Low 41F | Nice + mild

🌧️ Friday: High 52F | Low 34F | Classic rainy day

🌥️ Saturday: High 46F | Low 26F | A chance of precip

☀️ Sunday: High 48F | Low 27F | Soak up that sun

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