Chicago Birthday Party attendees gert free cake and Pepsi products. (Photos by Igor Studenkov/For Chronicle Media)     

Chilly, occasionally rainy weather didn’t stop Southwest Siders from celebrating Chicago’s birthday March 4 in front of St Andrew Lutheran Church — at a spot recognized as the city’s geographic center. 

Now in its second year, the Chicago Birthday Party was organized by Justin Kerr, publisher of an online media outlet, and Ald. Julia Ramirez, 12th Ward. They wanted to have an event that celebrated Chicago and give neighbors an opportunity to hang out and get to know each other. By their own admission, the first party was thrown together last year on short notice, but this year, they had more time to prepare, which brought in twice as many people and attracted local sponsors.  

March 4, 1837 is when Chicago incorporated as a city. 

This year’s celebration featured a Chicago trivia contest, performances by mariachi singer Luis Alfredo and the Horizon Science Academy Band, a four-gun salute from the William McKinley American Legion Post 231 color guard, and free cake and Pepsi drinks provided by a local Pepsi distribution hub. The party ended with birthday songs in five languages common throughout the McKinley Park community — Cantonese, English, Mandarin, Polish and Spanish.  

The organizers said that they hope that next year, they will be able to attract even more attendees, have more offerings for kids and offer programming in more languages to better represent the neighborhood’s diversity. 

McKinley Park is located on Chicago’s Southwest Side. It has historically been part of the Polish-American communities that formed around the Archer Avenue corridor, but in the last 20 years, its Mexican-American and Chinese-American population has grown. 

Mariachi singer Luis Alfredo entertains the crowd.

Between the late 19th century and the 1950s, the city’s geographic center was at the intersection of 37th and Honore streets in McKinley Park community. When Chicago annexed what is now O’Hare International Airport and the surrounding O’Hare community, the center shifted northwest, roughly at the spot where Western Avenue bridge crosses the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. But, by that point, the intersection in front of St. Andrew was well established as the center, and the designation stuck.  

Kerr said that he got the idea from Chicago birthday events that Bill Kirby, who dressed up as superhero Captain Chicago, organized in Wicker Park in the 1990s. In 2024, he mulled doing something similar. Kerry lives only a block from the St. Andrew, and he thought that it would be appropriate to put something together at a city’s geographic center. 

“As a city, we don’t celebrate ourselves as much as we should,” he reflected.  

The William McKinley American Legion Post 231 color guard salutes Chicago on its birthday.

Ramirez’s ward includes most of McKinley Park and both the old and the current geographic center. She said that an event like this would give neighbors an opportunity to hang out together and get to know each other better. 

“It’s a great way to give them that opportunity today,” she said. 

Both Kerr and Ramirez said that they appreciated a diverse, racially mixed crowd the event attracted. Kerr also said that he was pleased to be able to get sponsors this time around.  

One of those sponsors is the Quality Technology Services data center, which operates out of the former Sun-Times Media printing plant further north. Caroline Yu, a manager at the company, told the crowd that community involvement was important to her employer. 

“We are just so honored to be part of this wonderful community,” she said. 

With rain in the forecast, the organizers set up plenty of tents — which attendees took advantage of when it did start to pour midway through the celebration.  

Kirby was in costume to ask trivia questions — some specific to McKinley Park and some more about Chicago. Attendees clapped, and some even danced along to Alfredo’s performance. 

Ald. Julia Ramirez (12th Ward) leads her staff in singing a Spanish-language version of “Happy Birthday”

Ramirez led her staff in singing a Spanish-language version of “Happy Birthday” song. Grace Chan McKibben, the executive director of Coalition for a Better Chinese American community, led a group of Chinese-American residents in singing “Wishing You Longevity,” a Cantonese birthday song. Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago commissioner Dan Pogorzelski sang “100 Years,” a Polish birthday song. St. Andrew pastor the Rev. Adam Gawel sang the Mandarin version of “Happy Birthday.” While singers were supposed to blow out the candles on miniature birthday cakes, the wind made lighting the candles impossible, so they mimed blowing out the candles. 

The celebration concluded with Kerr inviting kids to sing Happy Birthday in English.  

Chan McKibben said that she thought the event went well. 

“It was wonderful to have all those neighbors come together and celebrate Chicago’s birthday,” she said. “It’s a fun way to see our neighbors and celebrate our city.” 

Chicago Board of Education member Yesenia Lopez represents District 7, which includes portions of McKinley Park. She said that Ramirez invited her to attend. 

“I’m very excited to see how many people are out and about,” she said. “I wish it was a bit warmer, but I’m excited to see people out here.” 

Kerr said that he was pleased with how the celebration turned out. 

“I think it turned out great” he said. “The rain mostly stayed away and we had a good turnout. I think we doubled (the attendance) compared to last year. We hope to double it again next year.” 

Ramirez said that next year, she would like to see more activities for kids and “more languages.”  

“We’re hoping it will be bigger and better every year,” she said.