On Saturday, March 16, Springfield residents filled Downtown for the city’s annual Saint Patrick’s Day parade.
The parade itself went peacefully. Strong winds, persistent since Thursday’s storms, buffeted paradegoers with enough strength to occasionally knock over traffic barriers — as well as hats on participants and spectators alike. Yet despite the breeze, the festivities carried off without a hitch.
Excepting the 2020 and 2021 lockdowns, Springfield has held a St. Patrick’s Day parade each year since 1985. This year’s parade was themed around “Irish Pubs & Folklore”; when first addressing the City Council, this year’s Grand Marshal Barry Friedman eagerly recalled the great prominence of the hawthorn tree to announce the year’s focus on Ireland’s rich history of myth.
Yet while not one fear dearg or bhean sí joined the ubiquitous leprechaun in the parade, plenty of live music accompanied the marchers. And for their part, Springfield residents happily carried on in the cherished tradition of (responsible) pub-hopping merriment before, during, and after the parade.
