arriage, haha!) St. Patty's day is kind of like Christmas in our home, so you can probably guess how excited we were. The train was packed! It was like a can of sardines piling in there. Almost everyone was in the spirit of the day. There were green hats, green beads, Kiss me I'm Irish t-shirts, green shamrock glasses, green painted faces, green wigs, you name it and it was there in green! I kind of felt like we were going to Mardi Gras hahaa! 20 minutes later, we pulled up to our stop, hopped off the train, and walked up to the parade route. We found a great spot (right near the judges table) and waited a few minutes for the parade to start.I think the most exciting part about this event, is the people watching. We saw so many people dressed up and face painted out it was crazy. One little 
girl had a long green wig, huge glasses, little green outfit that she looked like a leprechaun. The parade finally started and we watched the countless bagpipe bands blow down the road in kilts, Irish dance schools jig down the street with bouncy curly hair pieces, the Guinness truck advertising it's three staple beers (Guinness, Harp, and Smithwicks) slowly roll by making our mouths water, the local roller derby girls skate through in a mock roller rink, and several overly m
ade up pageant winners float by on corvettes. Some of my personal favorites were the great dane rescue society walking these huge horse like dogs. They looked so silly dressed up in huge green bowties and hats! Then there was the golden retriever club, tons and tons of goldens walking in the parade, I mean there must of been at least 100 goldens. But I think one of my favorite floats had to be the "RiRa's" Irish pup float. (They had just re-opened after some extensive remodeling.) They had a giant flat bed float, complete with green costumed dancers, cheering, dancing, and singing, Then on the top tier of the platform, all to himself, they had a guy dressed up like a Leprechaun dancing like a fool to a Flogging Molly song. It was funny and the music so exciting that it even got me dancing! haha! Then of course you had Ronald McDonald in his giant shoe make a presence and the secessions of firetrucks wiz by. In general, it was just lots of people, Irish or not, having a good time, dressed in gree
n, playing/listening to some good music, and enjoying and celebrating good old Irish traditions. Like for instance, there was a Mexican restaurant handing out free coupons and the only almost Irish thing they had was a guy dressed up as a huge green lime wedge with a sombrero. It wasn't Irish, but it was hilarious and just worked. In other words, it was just an excuse to party. haha!
girl had a long green wig, huge glasses, little green outfit that she looked like a leprechaun. The parade finally started and we watched the countless bagpipe bands blow down the road in kilts, Irish dance schools jig down the street with bouncy curly hair pieces, the Guinness truck advertising it's three staple beers (Guinness, Harp, and Smithwicks) slowly roll by making our mouths water, the local roller derby girls skate through in a mock roller rink, and several overly m
ade up pageant winners float by on corvettes. Some of my personal favorites were the great dane rescue society walking these huge horse like dogs. They looked so silly dressed up in huge green bowties and hats! Then there was the golden retriever club, tons and tons of goldens walking in the parade, I mean there must of been at least 100 goldens. But I think one of my favorite floats had to be the "RiRa's" Irish pup float. (They had just re-opened after some extensive remodeling.) They had a giant flat bed float, complete with green costumed dancers, cheering, dancing, and singing, Then on the top tier of the platform, all to himself, they had a guy dressed up like a Leprechaun dancing like a fool to a Flogging Molly song. It was funny and the music so exciting that it even got me dancing! haha! Then of course you had Ronald McDonald in his giant shoe make a presence and the secessions of firetrucks wiz by. In general, it was just lots of people, Irish or not, having a good time, dressed in gree
n, playing/listening to some good music, and enjoying and celebrating good old Irish traditions. Like for instance, there was a Mexican restaurant handing out free coupons and the only almost Irish thing they had was a guy dressed up as a huge green lime wedge with a sombrero. It wasn't Irish, but it was hilarious and just worked. In other words, it was just an excuse to party. haha! 
As I was watching the parade go by, I catch a glimpse of a TV camera crew. I think, no big deal, it's probably one of our local news stations reporting on the parade. But when I glanced to see which news anchor it is, it dawns on me that this person isn't one of our local anchors, but is someone I recognize. Then it hits me. It's Lisa Ling! She's in town reporting on the St. Patricks parade and how we have the largest St. Patricks bar crawl in the US. (Oh yeah... we have a crazy, 20 bar crawl every St. Patty's day, see, an excuse for a party haha!, lots of fun for everyone!) Well, I go over to the camera crew and get right up on them and snap a pick of Lisa Ling. THEN, I ask her if I can get a picture with her. She smiles and says sure, so Boo snaps our picture and I turn to her and say "Welcome to our town!" She smiles and thanks me. I
t was so surreal. For those of you who don't know who she is, she used to be on the show "The View", but now she's a National Geographic Explorer journalist and a very humble person.
t was so surreal. For those of you who don't know who she is, she used to be on the show "The View", but now she's a National Geographic Explorer journalist and a very humble person.After the parade, we were all set to get our Irish beer on and head over to the St. Patty's festival when Boo gets a call from a friend that says he's down there with is family. So we decide to meet up and check out the fe
stival together. As we walk to meet up with Patrick and Tracey, a guy with a ton of green beads walks up to me and hands me a strand of beads and wishes me a Happy St. Patricks Day. Embellished in my new green beads and huge grin, we grab lunch at a local and famous soul food restaurant and head out to the festival. Everyone is in such good/giving spirits it's hard not to have a good time. One lady who was buying herself a green feather boa, saw us coming and immediately says that Tracey's daughter K
ia needed a green boa too, and she BOUGHT it for her! WOW. Sometimes the kindness of strangers really impresses me :)
stival together. As we walk to meet up with Patrick and Tracey, a guy with a ton of green beads walks up to me and hands me a strand of beads and wishes me a Happy St. Patricks Day. Embellished in my new green beads and huge grin, we grab lunch at a local and famous soul food restaurant and head out to the festival. Everyone is in such good/giving spirits it's hard not to have a good time. One lady who was buying herself a green feather boa, saw us coming and immediately says that Tracey's daughter K
ia needed a green boa too, and she BOUGHT it for her! WOW. Sometimes the kindness of strangers really impresses me :) Boo and Patrick run off to get beers while Tracy, her kids (Kia and Aiden) and I navigate the streets and check out the different booths, crafts, and Irish peddlers. I love being in the middle of all this craziness. We stop for Aiden to play a round of cornhole (bean bag toss) so he can win a some green beads and I spot Boo and Patrick. They look so happy and care free, just smiling, talking, sipping their 32oz beers. I just smile and am so glad they are having a good time too. Tracey decides to get us some beers, so she goes off while I watch the kids for a bit. We fi
nally all meet back up and decide to check out the kid area for the carnival rides, while Tracey takes Kia to get her face painted. After bags of kettle corn, cotton candy, free bracelets, pictures, and rides, we call it a day. But the day isn't over for me just yet. I have an all girls dinner party to get to that night, I need to get home and primp! hahaha! It was a great, though chilly, St. Patricks day out. We caught a parade and a festival, spent some quality time with friends, celebrity sited, and indulged in a little Irish beer drinking, all while people watching. Today was a good day. Til next time... GET OUTDOORS!!!
nally all meet back up and decide to check out the kid area for the carnival rides, while Tracey takes Kia to get her face painted. After bags of kettle corn, cotton candy, free bracelets, pictures, and rides, we call it a day. But the day isn't over for me just yet. I have an all girls dinner party to get to that night, I need to get home and primp! hahaha! It was a great, though chilly, St. Patricks day out. We caught a parade and a festival, spent some quality time with friends, celebrity sited, and indulged in a little Irish beer drinking, all while people watching. Today was a good day. Til next time... GET OUTDOORS!!!
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