St. Patrick's Day is Sunday, but some folks and business owners are trying to turn this into a three-day holiday. For some, that might mean a three-day drinking binge.
Butch McGuire's on Division and Dearborn was packed by 5 o'clock Friday, nearly two days before St. Patrick's Day.
"It's kind of a very traditional holiday for a lot of people," says Butch McGuire owner Bobby McGuire. "They plan ahead, they make it a big weekend."
The people are loving the "holiday" weekend.
"Wonderful. Woo!!" bar patron Dan James says. "Tons of crazy ladies screaming in your ear all weekend long."
Celebrating the Irish holiday also means plenty of drinks will be flowing. Some bars offering multiple pub crawls throughout the weekend.
Bar owners say the holiday isn't as rough as you may think.
"If we have the right people working, the right amount of people working, then we leave the problems outside," McGuire says. "They don't come through the front door."
If violence or lewdness spills out, many areas around Chicago's north side are stepping up patrols.
Aldermen, like Bob Fioretti say the goal is to take care of one another and to make no one is out there drinking and driving.
"St Patrick's Day is actually the day that Saint Patrick died on, so it's in honor of him. We don't want any deaths here in the city," Fioretti says. "The word is out that you've got to be careful out there and I hope people live up to it."
Thursday, May 16 2013 9:49 PM EDT2013-05-17 01:49:53 GMT
Mayor Emanuel will celebrate two years in office by unveiling "Elevate Chicago" on Thursday, a series of construction projects to improve Navy Pier and McCormick Place.
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Monday, February 25 2013 1:41 PM EST2013-02-25 18:41:37 GMT
Just as Oscar host Seth MacFarlane set his sights on a variety of targets with a mixture of hits and misses, the motion picture academy spread the gold around to a varied slate of films.
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Wednesday, May 22 2013 7:03 PM EDT2013-05-22 23:03:10 GMT
The Chicago Board of Education made its final decision Wednesday afternoon - to close 48 Chicago Public Schools in June, with one school delayed a year and to save five others.
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Wednesday, May 22 2013 6:45 PM EDT2013-05-22 22:45:07 GMT
Illinois public schools that teach sex education will have to include information about contraception and sexually transmitted diseases instead of a curriculum focused on abstinence.
Illinois public schools that teach sex education will have to include information about contraception and sexually transmitted diseases instead of a curriculum focused on abstinence.
Wednesday, May 22 2013 5:50 PM EDT2013-05-22 21:50:46 GMT
The attorney for an 87-year-old woman who accuses Donald Trump of cheating her in a skyscraper condo deal told Chicago jurors on Wednesday that the "Apprentice" star lied on the witness stand.
Jurors have withdrawn to begin deliberations about whether Donald Trump cheated an 87-year-old who claims the "Apprentice" star cheated her in property deal.
