One of Crown Point’s most beloved and unique traditions returned with a chorus of bagpipes on Thursday evening, as the city hosted its Annual Nighttime St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
Local businesses, nonprofits, school teams, other organizations, and even some residents covered their floats, signs, and ivy caps with lights and marched down Main Street and through Crown Point’s downtown square. The city’s excitement for the parade's return was obvious, as hundreds packed the streets to catch the parade pass by.
“I think the crowd is a combination of things, the weather is nice and we didn’t have the parade last year because of COVID,” said David Uran, Crown Point Mayor. “Everyone’s coming back for this event and getting excited about spring coming back to Northwest Indiana. As soon as we advertised that we were doing it again this year, all 32 entries for the parade were immediately sold out.”
The city also packed the day full of other events, such as a Drive-Thru Only Corned Beef at Cabbage Dinner hosted by Crown Point Fire Rescue and True BBQ, and a full array of vendors set up on the Square including Ricochet Tacos, Square Roots, Ben’s Pretzels, and many more.
“Crown Point’s a real tourism-focused community,” Uran said. “We don’t have any big box stores, so having these events whether they be here on the Square or at Bulldog Park – those are big-ticket items here in the city. Our businesses embrace them and our residents love to see people and showcase our community.”
Many businesses make their own traditions out of the parade, such as Mi Ranchito who always bring out their dancing horses, or the Orak Shriners and their mini-cars. Indiana Beverage is another regular participant, bringing their massive inflatable Guinness mug and encouraging responsible drinking on the holiday.
“We’re out here because it’s good for the community,” said Chris Wallin, Brand Manager for Guinness at Indiana Beverage “We want to be out here, supporting the community. People really associate Guinness with St. Patrick’s Day, so we’ve been doing this for a long time.”
With the change of seasons, Crown Point is packing its event calendar full – to keep up with the latest happenings in the city, visit crownpoint.in.gov or follow them at www.facebook.com/CityofCrownPointIN/. For more from Indiana Beverage check www.indianabev.com.
