‘A rite of passage’ in emerald green

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,” said Crawford, who came from the San Francisco Bay area and now lives in Ravenswood.

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.

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 the Dearborn Street Bridge 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.

Since 1962, the dyeing of the river has become part of the celebratory festivities, which includes the St. Patrick’s Day parade that steps off at 12:15 p.m. at Columbus and Balbo drives.