Happy St. Patty's Day!
5:14 p.m. Saturday, March 17, 2007
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Topeka — Whether Irish or not, thousands of people, young and old, flooded the streets of downtown Topeka for the Saint Patrick's Day Parade. And the celebration wasn't only limited to family and friends; pets got in on the green-colored holiday too.
“I love it. It's just so much fun to see everybody, have a good time, stand around and just get all dressed up for it,” said parade participant Sarah Quinlan.
While candy is nothing new to the parade, the way participants to got their hands on it was. This year, parade officials prohibited throwing candy from floats to keep kids from getting hit. Only those walking were allowed to hand it out.
“It never really bothered me either way because we were always watching them and if we felt they were going to be hit with something dad or I would reach in or above them and grab it,” said parade participant Tanya Howbert.
At least 30 police officers were on hand to tame the crowd; pushing back anyone who got too close to the parade. But the method of enforcement wasn't fool-proof. Officers say two people were run over by the wheel of a float, and one group got in trouble for letting an 8-year-old drive the truck that was pulling their float. But participants say they won't let a few accidents stop their tradition.
The St. Patrick's Day Parade is one of the largest single events of the year. This year's celebration lasted nearly two and a half hours.
According to www.stpatricksday.com, Irish-Americans held the first civic celebration of the holiday in Boston in 1737. During the Revolutionary War, future President George Washington allowed his soldiers of Irish descent to take a holiday in 1780. And Kansas City, Missouri has been holding a St. Patty's Day parade since 1873.
Now, 270 years after America's first St. Patty's Day, you can see what Topeka is doing to celebrate the luckiest day of 2007!
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