Wrigleyville celebrations show no sign of letting up Chicago Tribune

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• published: 06 Nov 2016
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just because it took 108 years to bring home a World Series championship doesn't mean "victory parade" became an acceptable excuse for every Cubs fan who wanted to skip work Friday. For those who couldn't make it to the celebration or didn't want to brave the estimated crowds of 5 million people, a Saturday trip to the Friendly Confines made for a much better option. And so Wrigleyville continued to buzz with excitement and something else it hasn't experienced in a century: November elation instead of October heartbreak. Hundreds of fans flitted around Wrigley Field, eager to take souvenir photos in front of the marquee, which for the first time in its history displayed the words "World Series Champions." Many in the crowd had work obligations in the days following the Cubs' victory Wednesday over the Cleveland Indians, so Saturday was their first chance to finally celebrate. Others, who attended the Cubs Parade on Friday, took to Wrigleyville on Saturday for a second day of partying. City to keep celebration rolling with Cubs train and bus near Wrigley Field City to keep celebration rolling with Cubs train and bus near Wrigley Field Wearing their newly purchased World Series hats and T-shirts, Cubs fans packed weekend Red Line trains and spilled onto Addison Street, documenting with their iPhones every jubilant moment: The tuba player on Addison and Sheffield Avenue tooting "Go Cubs Go"; the scribbled messages scratched onto the ballpark's exterior walls; the crowd's sudden eruption into a "Let's go, Cubbies" cheer, their fists pumping the air. It was a frenzy that could be easily mistaken for game day enthusiasm, drummed up by fans like 18-year-old Rob Simmons, who took the Metra train to Wrigleyville from Elburn with his family because work commitments kept them from attending the citywide celebration Friday. "This means a lot, just how cool it is to be alive to see everything. Even today, when nothing is going on, people want to be here," he said. Simmons' father, 49-year-old Robert Simmons, said he didn't think he'd see the Cubs win a World Series in his lifetime. Chicago came out to support the 2016 World Series champion Cubs during a parade and rally on Nov. 4, 2016. (Chicago Tribune) For 39-year-old Brian Sikorski, a stop in Wrigleyville on Saturday morning was part of a weekendlong Cubs celebration. He attended Friday's parade, he said, and planned to stop at his grandparents' and Harry Caray's graves Saturday afternoon at All Saints Cemetery in Des Plaines. Sikorski, of Lisle, said he doubts it will take another century for the Cubs to win another World Series, as he's confident with the players' athleticism and the team's management. What's important, he said, is that the drought, the team's "biggest hurdle," has ended at last and a weight has been lifted. "I'm not getting greedy," he said, hesitating to predict how soon the Cubs will bring home the world title again. "I'm just enjoying today." meltagouri@chicagotribune.com Twitter @marwaeltagouri Wrigley Field Fans gather outside the Wrigley Field marquee Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016. (Marwa Eltagouri)