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Chicago River dyed green in surprise move to mark St. Patrick’s Day

CHICAGO — In a surprise move, the Chicago River glowed bright green on Saturday as officials attempted to raise the spirits of city residents who have been battling the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The Kelly green water, a longstanding tradition on St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago, was announced with little fanfare by Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office early Saturday, WLS reported.

“In order to minimize crowds and avoid congregating, the City opted not to publicize this ahead of time, and the dyeing will take place earlier than the traditional Saturday morning event,” a spokesperson in the mayor’s office said in a statement. “Furthermore, the Riverwalk will be closed on Saturday and Chicagoans looking to see the River during the day are urged to ‘keep it moving’ and celebrate safely and responsibly.”

Starting at 7 a.m. CT, the Chicago Plumber’s Union dyed the entire river green, according to WMAQ. The process took 20 minutes, the television station reported.

“They wanted to avoid the crowds, but they didn’t want to give up the tradition, so this was probably a compromise,” Thomas Bender, 51, told the Chicago Tribune. “It’s a little bit of normalcy that I’m sure is sadly missed by a lot of people.”

Saturday’s move was a welcome surprise for Chicagoans. Both of the city’s St. Patrick’s Day parades were canceled for the second consecutive year, WMAQ reported.

“We’ve communicated with all of them,” Rosa Escareno, commissioner for the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, told WLS. “They should know the guidelines so if we pop in and you’re having a party with a DJ and everybody’s dancing, no masks, (the) party is going to be terminated pretty quickly.”

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