Irish Eyes Smile At South Side Parade

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Chicago is the place to be to celebrate all things Irish.

And revelers kicked off St. Patricks' Day celebrations today on the South Side.

The beloved South Side Irish Parade is back in Beverly.

CBS 2's Jeremy Ross reports on the festivities.

What Daylight Saving stole, Irish revelers tried to replace step by step.

Those attending the 40th annual South Side Irish Parade were greeted by salutations and a symphony of sounds.

"It's about the neighborhood and Irish heritage," says Parade Chairman Ed Haggerty who adds that 16 high school bands, 125 floats and hundreds of thousands took part in the festivities.

"A lot of the kids in the neighborhood grew up in this parade," says Haggerty.

"We were Irish dancers so it's been in our lives for as long as I can remember," says attendee Maggie Murphy.

Maggie Murphy calls this a generational gift.

She's seen plenty of parades.

This however is the first for her two-month-old Emily.

Her two-year-old sister Lily wouldn't miss it either.

Hundreds of thousands watched the Grand Marshal: Special Olympics Chicago.

"It's a huge honor for our organization," says President Kevin Magnuson will help the organization celebrate 50 years this summer with hundreds of athletes benefiting.

For about two hours  the Irish took over Western.

As for the hour Daylight Saving took, some won't miss it.

"I've learned to function without it with two kids," laughs Murphy.

Crowds also taking a moment to honor the memory of slain Chicago Police Commander Paul Bauer.

Organizers remarked that without the hundreds of thousands of volunteers, the celebration would not be possible.