St Patty's in Chicago

I know that most of you won't believe it but the river in Chicago really is dyed green for St Patrick's Day. Here is a picture of the river from my recent trip to the Windy City. It was a gorgeous day and we were able to enjoy the parade, walking downtown, and a private room at a local Irish Pub (can you believe that on St Patrick's weekend!). It was a ton of fun, mostly because of the great weather. Looks kind of like powerade or anti-freeze, huh? People have asked, "why is the river already dyed green and it isn't even the 17th?". Well, apparently Chicago always dyes the river green and holds their celebration before St Patrick's Day so since it falls on a Friday this year, all the festivities were the weekend before. No worries, there are still activities on the 17th. Just no green river.