NE Portland – St. Paddy’s Day Parade
Sunday March 13th was a great day to be Irish. To be sure, Daylight Savings cost us a wee bit o’ shuteye, but the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow was the extra hour of sunlight – always a welcome treat in Portland. The other highlight of the day was the 22nd Annual Northeast Neighborhood St. Paddy’s Day Parade. Plenty of people and pets showed for the wearin’ o’ the green and to show support for some of their favorite BIGHAT neighborhoods.
The weather wasn’t ideal (rain/parade pun withheld), but that didn’t keep hundreds of people from attending. Folks showed up with slickers, rain gear, umbrellas, and (dare I say) BIGHATS! Unlike the Rose Parade, people aren’t out the night before staking their claim with duct tape and folding chairs. This parade is much more civilized. It starts at Fernwood School in Grant Park, heads west into Irvington on Hancock, north on 17th to Tillamook, then back to Fernwood. The route allows you to see the parade twice if you move from Hancock to Tillamook.
Parade founders and organizers, Steve and Julie O’Slavik, who live at the NW corner of NE 25th and Hancock, offered up another gem. President Barack O’Bama presided over the parade from their porch – joined by three young bagpipers. The parade included a full-on bagpipe band, Robert Gray Junior High marching band, a collection of Irish Wolfhounds and Greyhounds, and several floats and unique cars. A police escort with motorcycles and squad cars and fire engine #13 provided public safety.
Our kids got up for the festivities. Why not – they’re seasoned vets at hoarding candy thrown by marchers, float riders, and other passersby. Ankle-deep puddles made it a little tricky for the ankle-biters to get to the goods and the three-second rule was strictly enforced on unsealed candy (nothing like a road-oil-infused Tootsie Roll to stunt your growth).
We’re looking forward to next year’s parade already. As part of my BIGHAT Community Outreach Program, I plan to interview the O’Slaviks to learn more about the event, its history, and why they still love a parade after all these years.
