"A night of a Thousand Princes" Purple Walk in Wicker Park

In honor of pop icon Prince's death, A Night of a Thousand Princes -- Purple Walk attracted people of all ages from all over the City on Friday night in Wicker Park, 1425 N. Damen. 

One couple sitting on a bench eating pizza were in town from New York for their son's graduation. Their participation was unintended they said. But another woman sporting a Prince tee shirt came by bus from way on the south side. Others were from or had ties with the neighborhood.

Posted on FaceBook, organizers said, "Prince ... has touched the heart of millions of people all over the world and tonight, we pay tribute to the Purple One and celebrate his life and legacy.." 

Using the lyrics from Prince's Let's Go Crazy, their notice included…

"Dearly beloved
We are gathered here today 
To get through this thing called life
Electric word life
It means forever and that's a mighty long time
But I'm here to tell you
There's something else
The after world
A world of never ending happiness
You can always see the sun, day or night
So when you call up that shrink in Beverly Hills
You know the one, Dr. Everything'll Be Alright
Instead of asking him how much of your time is left
Ask him how much of your mind, baby
'Cause in this life
Things are much harder than in the after world
In this life
You're on your own..." 

The parade left the Fountain area in Wicker Park and went down Damen to Division over to Ashland and then up Milwaukee to North and Damen. A detail of Chicago Police Officers walked along with them, keeping them safe from traffic. 

While those in the crowd with cool outfits did not prevail, the spirit appeared to be more important than the costumes.