Chicago Cubs win the 2016 World Series 8 to 7 over the Cleveland Indians in Game Seven, Victory Parade set for Friday

Story by Chicago Sun-Times
Written by Fran Spielman

The Cubs parade will be held on Friday, a bleary-eyed Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced Thursday.

The giant rally is expected to dwarf the ones that happily became almost old hat during the Bulls pair of three-peats during the 1990s.

During an appearance on the South Side, Emanuel said he has talked to Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts “multiple times” about the celebration since the Cubs clinched the World Series title on Wednesday night.

“We’re gonna have a parade in Chicago,” said the mayor, who attended Game 7 in Cleveland. “It will be a parade that 108 years have waited for.”

There’s even a possibility the Chicago River will be dyed Cubbie blue, Emanuel said.

Pressed for details about the big celebration, Emanuel said the event is still coming together.

“Tomorrow as in Friday, as in around this time,” the mayor said shortly before noon.”Just stand somewhere in the middle of the city and you’ll see it,” he then joked. “We’re literally working out the details right now as I’m standing in front of you.”


Celebration at Wrigley after Cubs win World Series. | Santiago Covarrubias/Sun-Times

Sources said the city’s preference had been to celebrate the Cubs’ World Series title on Monday with a parade from Wrigley Field to Grant Park.

But the Cubs pressed the city to move it up to Friday for two big reasons.

After an exhausting climb back from a 3-to-1 World Series deficit, some of the Cubs players are eager to leave town on vacation.

Also, Major League Baseball is scheduled to start its general managers’ meetings on Monday in Scottsdale, Arizona. That would have meant the Theo trio — President of Business Operations Theo Epstein, General Manager Jed Hoyer and Jason McLeod, senior vice-president of player development and amateur scouting — would likely be unable to attend the rally.

Although time is short, sources said the Emanuel administration is trying its best to hold a civic celebration worthy of a team that just ended a 108-year wait that was the longest drought in the history of professional sports.

One advantage for a Friday parade is that Chicago Public Schools students won’t have to cut class to be there — the district already has scheduled a day off on Friday for what is called a “School Improvement Day.” Most staff will still be at work, but students won’t be in class. Some charter schools also are scheduled to be off.

Meanwhile, Chicago police were told just Thursday morning to be prepared to work a 12-hour shift on Friday, according to police scanner traffic.