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 -by Lynn Becker

[March 15, 2010] - Chicago's way of celebrating St. Patrick's Day leaves other cities you-know-what with envy.

St. Patrick's Day has always had a special place in Chicago culture. First, the Irish have held a major, often dominant, position in the city's history. March 17th also serves as a good official break point marking finally getting past the long slog of winter. And then there's the story of how St. Patrick drove the Asian carp out of Lake Michigan.

In 1962, one strong culture combined with another - Chicago's strong labor history - when the pipefitters union took an orange fluoresein dye that turned green when mixed in water (allowing the analysis of how water was flowing) and used it to dye the Chicago River the same day-glo green as the relish on a Chicago hot dog.

They've been doing it every year since, now on the Saturday closest to March 17th, and this past Saturday was no exception. So now here's a video and photo essay on how it all came down in 2010.

As we've written previously, changing the color of the river makes it a hyper-vibrant carpet, setting off the architecture and activity of the city in a very different way. This Saturday added an additional, almost mystical scrim of fog and mist.

Still, the crowds began to gather early along the upper and lower riverwalks, including all ages, talents, styles and species.




A little past 10:30 a.m, as you can see in the video above, two boats spin into action - one dropping the orange dye along the river, the second churning it up like a speedboat mixmaster. It doesn't take much more than a quarter hour, but by the end, the river is a rich, emerald green, and the guy dropping the dye is caked in dye. St. Patrick's Day in Chicago may be the only thing that can turn even a true Irishman orange.

And then, it's finished, for everyone to enjoy, even in the rain, which, mocking the spirit of the day, stubbornly clung to its normal, clear water color.












Throughout the city, the wearing of the green becomes pandemic:



Green river Chicago, 2010 . . .

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© 2010 Lynn Becker All rights reserved.