Pleasant surprises abound across this great country, some of them in the most unexpected places. Savannah will host one of those wonderful annual surprises today. At 10:15, rain or shine, the Saint Patrick's Day parade will step off for the 190th time. Half a million people will line the streets and squares of this historic city to watch a family-friendly event. Organizers have worked hard over the past years to keep the "Saint" and sanity in the holiday, confining most of the adult revelry - drinking and excessive partying - to River Street following the parade. That was fine with me even in my early thirties during my second adolescence. It's only since the arrival of "the book" - Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil - and the discovery of Savannah as a significant tourist destination that issues with irreverent activities have become serious. [See my "A Night[and Day] in Old Savannah," August 23, 2008, for details.]
My first parade there was in 1977 when I lived on Jones Street in the historic district. Over the years, I lost count as the events merged one into the other during my tenure in the Coastal Empire. Eventually, my children celebrated their Irish/Celtic heritage for a day and were part of the parade. They sat on the folded top of a hot convertible and waved their green, white and orange flags to the crowds. Those wee bairns - now in or near their 30's - have plenty of ancient Celtic ancestry and thanks to Ancestry.com we know they're about 2% Irish genes, but no one was keeping score. It was simply great fun. Almost all of those parades we attended were complemented with fine spring weather and thousands of azaleas blooming throughout the city.
Those were the good old days? To be honest, the parade is a fond memory. Life has moved on and left me with a deep love for Savannah and the Golden Isles. Haven't been to the parade for several years, although I plan to watch it on the Internet.
If I were you, I'd put this event on the bucket list. The Savannah parade has been around since 1813. It's a wonderful event for your children and grandchildren. It's held in what many consider the nation's most beautiful city. That said, I suggest you make your reservations tomorrow before March 17, 2015 becomes "No Vacancy."
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