Blue Skies Over Dundalk for Celebration of Green

The luck of the Irish smiled kindly upon Dundalk on Saturday, when blue skies and unseasonably warm temperatures served as the backdrop for the town's annual St. Patrick's Day parade.

Early last week, parade co-organizer Lil Tirschman, on seeing weather forecasts that called for rain and scattered thunderstorms on Saturday, said she prayed "to the wee people" for good weather.

The wee people must have listened.

By the time the parade reached Shipping Place—about 45 minutes after its kickoff at the Logan Village Shopping Center on Dundalk Avenue—spectators were shedding sweaters and jackets and talking of wearing "way too many clothes."

The procession that celebrates Dundalk's Irish roots contained all of the usual parade players—including color guards, modern and antique fire engines, community organizations and businesses, clowns and plenty of bagpipers.

Decked out in green from nearly head to toe, Nancy Null and Carol Smith stood with friend Jack Sheehe along Shipping Place waiting for the parade to pass by.

Null, a retired teacher who was a colleague of Sheehe's at Sollers Point Technical High School, laughed every time there was a lull in the procession and joked that she hoped the cause wasn't the school's float.

(For the record, it wasn't.)

Nearby, Michelle Roberts sat on a prime piece of parade-watching real estate with her children, Katie, 7, and Tommy, 3.

Katie was decked out in a green shamrock crown and beads as she basked in the sunlight and took pictures of parade participants.

When the final unit passed through and the crowd began to disperse, Rosemary Smith remained on the corner, just to make sure it was over.

"I'm just a big kid at heart and I love this," she said, offering that she's 65. "I was here last year, and it was a lot better this year—it's really gotten bigger and better.

"I'll be back next year, Lord willing."