ROCKFORD — On a rainy day in 1976, about a hundred people walked down State Street in downtown to celebrate their Irish heritage.
“One of the members was John McNamara, our former mayor, and about another 100 members or so, and that was the first step off of our parade,” said Tyler Pickering of the Irish Marching Society. “We’ve been hosting the St. Patrick’s Day parade ever since.”
On Saturday, the Irish Marching Society will celebrate its 50th anniversary parade. It’s grown from its humble beginnings into a Rockford tradition that brings out hundreds of participants and thousands of people lining the streets…