Wilmington celebrates Monday’s St. Patrick’s Day with its annual parade Saturday.
The Irish Culture Club of Delaware is sponsoring the 39th edition of the event. Marchers will follow the usual route up King Street between 4th and 15th streets starting at noon.
Wilmington Mayor Dennis Williams (D) helped get the city ready Friday by painting a green stripe down the center of King Street.
Irish Culture Club of Delaware spokesperson Ellen Sweeney says painting the green stripe a day prior had humble beginnings but has become a hallowed Wilmington tradition.
"We tried to think of something way back when to do a publicity stunt, it’s a silly little thing. And we talked to then mayor Bill McLaughlin and he said “oh we’d love to come out and do something.” So he came out and painted the stripe and we’ve been doing it every year, the mayors have been very supportive of us," said Sweeney.
Williams says he’s happy to handle the stripe painting chores and host the parade, calling it a way to celebrate culture while boosting the economy.
"You know the city has enclaves of people with heritage, we want this to continue, we want the St. Paddy's Day Parade to come through downtown Wilmington," said Williams. "These folks came through Ellis Island, we want to make sure we have people coming into our city, celebrating their heritage, it brings in people who don’t live in the city, spending money in restaurants, the parade is great, it’s a thing that keeps our urban area vibrant."
Delaware’s Department of Highway Safety says it will set up a DUI checkpoint in Wilmington Saturday, and encourages all parade goers to act responsibly.