CHICAGO — A tradition originating over six decades ago was welcomed back to downtown Chicago Saturday after the city’s St. Patrick’s Day parade was canceled the past two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thousands of Chicagoans and guests of the city dusted off their best green attire and accessories and layered up to brave the cold to watch as parade cars, floats and more filed on by down Columbus Drive Saturday afternoon. Earlier Saturday, crowds gathered around the Chicago River between Orleans Street and Columbus Drive – almost three-quarters of a mile, a much wider area than years p…