Naperville St. Patrick’s Day Parade celebrates 30 years
This year the West Suburban Irish (WSI) will celebrate the 30th anniversary of its St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Naperville.
The theme this time around is “New Beginnings,” meant to give a nod to the new president of WSI, a new downtown location, the new start to spring and the set dates of the group’s Irish Fest for September 22 and 23.
Floats, bands, entertainers, and even St. Patrick himself will all be part of the parade festivities. It takes place Saturday, March 11, starting at 10 a.m. The parade kicks off at Naperville North High School, then will head down Mill Street on a route through downtown Naperville.
More information about the parade is available on the West Suburban Irish website.
NY Times best-selling author Kristin Hannah coming to Naperville
NY Times best-selling author Kristin Hannah will be making an appearance in Naperville on March 20.
The author of books including Firefly Lane and The Nightingale is coming to North Central College’s Pfeiffer Hall to discuss her latest novel, The Four Winds. In this special event set up by Anderson’s Bookshop, Hannah will be joined by best-selling author and Naperville resident Luis Urrea for the discussion. Both will take part in some audience Q&A and will have a signing line.
The event begins at 7 p.m. Ticket information is available through the Anderson’s Bookshop website.
Two jewelry stores closing up shop in downtown Naperville
Two jewelry stores are closing their doors in downtown Naperville.
The Lauren Rae Jewelry Boutique will be closing up shop after nearly five years in business under that name. Owner Lisa Collins first bought the store as It’s a Bling Thing in 2015, changing the name in 2018. She’s now retiring, and a closing sale for the shop is currently underway. Collins told the Naperville Sun the last business day will likely be at the end of March.
Also closing is the Pandora location at 119 S. Main Street. Its last day there is March 11. It then will open a new location on March 12 in the Fox Valley Mall.
Green Practice Facility named for park board commissioner
The new 18th green practice facility at Naperbrook Golf Course will be named for Naperville Park Board Commissioner Marie Todd.
The board voted through a resolution approving the decision at its meeting last week. It’s a fitting tribute to Todd, as it commemorates the 18 years she’s served on the Naperville Park Board.
Todd has chosen not to run for reelection this April. During her tenure, she served as board president from 2006 to 2007, and from 2021 to 2022.
Naperville named third best city to live in the US
Naperville has been named as the third best city to live in the U.S., according to a recent ranking by scholarship-finding company Scholaroo.
The report took a look at 151 cities across the country, and used 47 different metrics broken up into eight different categories. Those were crime and safety, affordability, economy, healthcare, quality of life, opportunity, infrastructure, and education.
No. 1 on the list was Naples, Florida, with Carmel, Indiana coming in at No. 2.
