Northwest Side Irish march on, the chill notwithstanding

The Bagpipes and Drums of the Chicago Police Emerald
Society led off yesterdays NWSI parade

The 11th annual, and what surely must have been the chilliest, Northwest Side Irish Parade stepped off as scheduled at noon yesterday from Onahan School in Chicago's Norwood Park community.

I read somewhere this weekend that the color most properly identified with St. Patrick is blue, not green, and if that is so, the Good Saint must have been thoroughly pleased yesterday, because the biting wind and frigid temperatures threatened to turn even those painted emerald green a frozen shade of blue.

I had the brilliant idea to walk around Onahan School before the parade stepped off and try and catch as many pictures of the politicians and candidates as I could that way -- moving yesterday seemed greatly preferable to standing still. Unhappily, I made my rounds too early to catch everyone ready to begin. A great many people did not venture into the elements yesterday until they absolutely had to. My plan might have worked brilliantly if I lived north of Northwest Highway -- I could have walked the parade backwards while the parade was walking forwards, heading for home and warmth -- but, alas, I do not. After my pass around the staging area, I needed to get back to the train station and wait for the parade to pass me by.

Only a part of it did. I became increasingly certain that my right hand was going to fall fall off (I needed to remove my glove to take pictures), so I reluctantly decided that I had to pass on the parade with half of it still to come. My hand has apparently survived the ordeal, but I will not be signing on as photographer to any Antarctic expeditions in the immediate future.

So there's no question I missed people.

I didn't miss James Patrick Crawley (candidate for the countywide Veal vacancy, pictured above). I met Crawley passing his card out along Northwest Highway.

Nor did I miss Judge Anthony C. "Tony" Kyriakopoulos. That's Kyriakopoulos, in the white shirt, below.

But I did miss the other candidate in the race for the 10th Subcircuit "A" vacancy, Katherine A. O'Dell. Thanks, however, to the magic of Facebook, I can lift a picture therefrom and make it look like I was more diligent than was in fact the case:

And, since this is a political blog, especially at this time of year, I have to show you the 41st Ward group coming down Northwest Highway.

The 45th Ward was represented, too.

In Chicago parades, the Republicans and other, non-incumbent or endorsed political types tend to come a little further back. But they were getting ready to take their place in the parade when I was in the staging area.

For more pictures from yesterday's NWSI parade, turn to this entry on Page Two.