Danielle Crawford has been in Chicago less than a year while her boyfriend has lived in the city for over four decades, and both watched the Chicago River turn emerald green for the first time Saturday morning."I feel like this was a rite of passage if I was going to start to live a Chicago life," s aid Crawford, who came from the San Francisco Bay area and now lives in Ravenswood. Crowds gather around the Chicago River to see Saturday’s dyeing of the water to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times An sea of green revelers gathered early Saturday by the handful to watch the Chicago River be dyed for the 64th time as the city celebrates St. Patrick's Day. Related Where to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day weekend in Chicago Some took selfies and others laughed as Sabrina Carpenter's melodically upbeat hit "Espresso" played over nearby speakers.Many spectators were bundled up watching along Wacker Drive near Dearborn and Clark streets as members of the Plumbers Union Local 130 dyed the river green with a orange vegetable-based powder that’s mixed by boats into the river. Crawford, who is still getting acclimated to Midwest weather, was in a coat and blue gloves watching along the Clark Street Bridge."I wore flip-flops Monday and it's freezing today," said Crawford, a 45-year-old practice manager for a pediatric office.Also among those present to see the river being dyed was Patrick McIntosh in an inflatable four-leaf clover costume. Patrick McIntosh poses for pictures in an inflatable four-leaf clover costume at Saturday’s dyeing of the Chicago River.Mohammad Samra/Sun-Times McIntosh, a 40-year-old construction worker who lives in Logan Square, came as Shrek one year and has lost count of how many times he’s seen the river turn emerald green.“My birthday is the day after St. Patrick’s Day, so we come out here and rock it,” said McIntosh, who comes to the dyeing with his wife. “We’re out here just having fun.” Susie Girzadas (left) and Michaela Madden wait for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade to start on Saturday.Mohammad Samra/Sun-Times As several marching bands practiced nearby, 19-year-old Michaela Madden and 20-year-old Susie Girzadas sat along a barricade near Balbo and Columbus drives, where the city’s St. Patrick’s Day parade was scheduled to begin.The two grew up attending the South Side Irish Parade but started coming Downtown as teenagers.“It’s the greatest holiday in the world," said Madden, who traveled from Knoxville, Tennessee, to stay with her family in Beverly for spring break. “Where I live now, we don’t celebrate it, so when I come back here for breaks I need to celebrate.”The two have been friends for over a decade and were looking forward to the music and giveaways during the parade.“I played the Irish fiddle since I was little, so I love hearing all the Irish bands,” said Girzadas, who also came from Beverly.Maurice McCoy Jr. wanted to put a unique spin on his costume for his first St. Patrick’s Day Parade, so he used green spray paint on a Jason Voorhees mask and carried a foam ax with a green-dyed blade as he cosplayed the well-known horror movie figure. Maurice McCoy Jr. turned out as Jason Voorhees for Saturday’s St. Patrick Day’s Parade.Mohammad Samra/Sun-Times Some took pictures with him, others looked nervously before police eventually asked him to put away his ax. That didn’t deter McCoy, as he was at the parade to mix his love of cosplaying with his desire to learn more about his heritage.“People may not understand when it comes to Black culture that some of us do have Irish descent,” said McCoy, a security guard from Morgan Park. “For me, it’s all about my heritage and coming out and having fun.”The parade started with bagpipes and the booming of drums from the Shannon Rovers Bagpipe Band as spectators cheered and clapped.Mayor Brandon Johnson was on the parade’s front line and waved to dozens lined up along the parade’s starting point.Sounds of drums, trombones, saxophones, trumpets and tubas from 484th Army Band followed.The Knights of Columbus, Navy band, Irish Fellowship club of Chicago, City of Chicago Pipe Band and Ironworkers 63 were among the participants in the parade. ...read more read less