The weather was cold, blustery and overcast; a typical mid-March day, but as always, it couldn’t diminish the size of the crowd that flooded our streets for the Annual Evacuation Day/St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Though the route of the march was shortened considerably, said to be caused by the mounds of hardened ice on every block, it seemed the same massive numbers of visitors still arrived. They just found themselves jammed into a much smaller area.
The parade itself was impressive as always with more than 140 marching units; said to be the second largest St. Patrick’s Day event in the country and the third largest in the world. Colorful, festive floats from a variety of organizations combined with talented marching bands. Some units travelled from far away states and impressed the throngs lining the route. Of course, there was the usual and very much appreciated heavy military presence mixed in throughout with every branch of the armed services represented. And it wasn’t just current military contingents marching. There were units in memory of historical conflicts from the Revolutionary War, the War Between the States all the way up to modern times – every one of them magnificent.
Among the most popular attractions in the parade were the very impressive Clydesdale horses strutting proudly along bringing cheers along the entire line of march. And certainly, another crowd pleaser was of course the big and very loud fire trucks, a favorite among the kids who are thrilled to see them go by.
So once again, South Boston’s big parade was a hit, enjoyed by many and over for yet another year.
