Chicago DUI lawyer thinks folks maybe listening this St. Patrick's Day

This Chicago DUI lawyer has posted here and here about St. Patrick's Day celebrations and increased DUI roadblocks. Now however, she wonders if the message is actually getting through to the revelers.

Then there's this story reminding folks of the end of the South Side parade:

Inside the Beverly Arts Center today, young children had shamrocks painted on their faces and decorated "Blarney stones" with glitter and glue.

It was the beginning of a new tradition for many families who for years had attended the South Side Irish Parade, which organizers cancelled last year after about 300,000 people packed the city's Irish enclave, drunkenness was rampant and nearly a dozen police officers were assaulted.

Kathleen Herber grew up in Beverly and had looked forward to passing on the parade tradition to her 1-year-old daughter, Anna. Instead, she took her daughter on Saturday to the South Side Irish Parade Family Fest, created out of the parade's demise.

"I miss the parade," she said. "I wish it was back this year, obviously. But we're trying to give this a try and bring back the spirit and tradition that usually accompanies the annual parade."

Meanwhile, bars along Western Avenue in Chicago's Beverly neighborhood are gearing up for what could be a massive pub crawl Sunday.

Laura DeVries, a bartender at Cork and Kerry, 10614 S. Western Ave., said the bar has prepared by putting away glassware and serving only in cans or plastic cups. She said many patrons in years past never even watched the parade.

On a window outside the bar, a poster invites patrons to visit Sunday by saying: "Some traditions never die."

But this year, police have said bar owners will find themselves in hot water if they allow overcrowding, underage drinking or allow people to leave carrying alcohol.

"There are a lot of restrictions so I don't see it being as busy as it was last year, " DeVries said. "It's bad because of the revenue that's going to be lost for everybody. Especially with the economy, business is down already. To have the biggest day of the year taken away is a hit."

The pub crawl was spearheaded on Facebook by Evergreen Park resident George Kelleher after the parade was cancelled. At one time, as many as 13,000 people pledged to go. But the Facebook event page has since disappeared.

The weather is not great and with the increased number of revelers I saw today on the North Side and on public transportation or foot, I just don't think there will be many arrests for public intoxication or DUI.