St. Patrick’s Day Parade once again marches down Main in Charles City

By Kelly Terpstra, kterpstra@charlescitypress.com

Irish eyes were smiling late Saturday afternoon in Charles City — even if you didn’t have Gaelic blood coursing through your veins.

“Everybody’s Irish today,” said Charles City Mayor Dean Andrews.

“The 26th First Ever St. Patrick’s Day Parade” put another one in the books as a procession of people dressed in green strolled down Main Street to the delight of many who lined the main artery in Charles City.

The “Irish Air Force” flew overhead to signal the start of the 20-minute march down Main Street in the heart of Charles City. Supposedly the P-57 and P-47 airplanes that were high up in the sky ward off bad leprechauns, according to parade organizer John Morris.

Rick McDonald, along with Morris, came up with the idea for the parade in the early 1990s.

“It wasn’t so big the first time, then it grew,” said McDonald, who owns Jackson Street Press in town.

It’s been a staple in Charles City ever since.

Folks lined up near the start of the parade at the City Tap. The goal was to get to the river. After many waves and plenty of candy thrown to the crowd, the short parade route took a hard right off Main onto Riverside Drive where the traditional pub crawl began at the Pub on the Cedar.

“There’s more this year than there was last year,” said Morris.

Mayor Andrews led the parade for the second year in a row. Andrews took over for longtime Mayor Jim Erb, who walked the route annually for 18 years. Before Erb and Andrews, Jeff Sisson wore the green Lord Mayor sash that past mayors donned for the crowd. Andrews said Sisson created the sash himself.

The Drouthy Duck, a bagpipe band, was decked out in kilts and played famous Irish songs as the parade slowly made its way past stoplights and businesses down Main Street.

The parade had a little bit of everything, including a big red fire truck that began the parade and intermittently honked its horn. There was even a dog dressed with a bowtie that walked the parade route.

Earlier in the week, a “secret council of the leprechauns” chose this year’s Miss Shamrock, Stacey Finnegan. She wore bright green sunglasses and waved a small Irish flag as she sat in a red convertible and waved to the onlookers.

“We might not be the biggest St. Patrick’s Day Parade but we certainly make up for it with enthusiasm,” smiled Mayor Andrews.

Some parade-goers wore traditional kilts or green beads, others waved flags — American and Irish.

The key, according to Andrews, was to maintain an orderly pace.

“In this parade, I had guys with axes behind me so I made sure I kept moving,” laughed Andrews.

This will be the first of several parades in Charles City this year. The lighthearted parade was also a signal that spring is just around the corner.

“It’s an excuse to do something in the dead of winter. This has been a heck of a winter,” said McDonald. “They enjoy parades in this town, that’s for sure.”