Chicago’s famous green river for St. Patrick’s Day started with a simple idea in the 1960s, formulated by the head of the Plumbers’ Union Local 130.
“Stephen M. Bailey had the idea when one of his plumbers came in to see him and on his overalls there was a green stain,” explained Jim Coyne, the Business Manager for the union and general chairman of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. “The plumber explained they were trying to discover a broken pipe and when the dye hit the water, it bubbled up emerald green.”
Stephen Bailey was a Bridgeport native, and longtime friend of then-Mayor Richard J. Daley.
After his discovery, he gave the mayor a call. Together, the pair started one of Chicago’s most popular traditions, but their ambitions were actually a big bigger than just the river.
“He wanted to dye Lake Michigan actually. Quite a feat,” Coyne said. “But they went from dyeing the lake to the Chicago River.”
Since 1962, the river is dyed every year on the Saturday before Saint Patrick’s Day.
The process takes two boats. A lead boat drops the dye, and a chase boat mixes it up. Within moments, the river shines a perfect shade of green.
“People come for the ambience, to be in community, just being a Chicagoan and the pride of Irish heritage,” said Stephen Crano of CHOOSE Chicago. “St. Patrick’s Day is a huge event, not only for tourists but residents as well.”
The river dyeing and parade that follows draws hundreds of thousands of people every year, and generates millions of economic tourism dollars for Chicago.
The dyeing will take place at 10:00 Saturday morning, and the parade follows at 12:15. You can see the show live on NBC Chicago’s website and mobile app, along with the 24/7 News Streaming Channel. Telemundo Chicago will also stream the event on its website and app.
For those making the trek to see the green river in person, the best view of the dyeing is between Columbus Drive and Michigan Avenue, especially on Upper Wacker Drive.
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