It was a grand day for the Irish - all over again.

One week after a major snow and ice storm postponed the 36th edition of the annual Hartford St. Patrick's Day Parade, it stepped off in high fashion Saturday without appearing to have missed a beat, a toast, or an Irish ditty.

With bright sunshine and temperatures in the low 50s, the weather was perfect for viewing as well as marching, and in a few places the remaining patches of snow served as an excellent location to keep the omnipresent beer cold.

"We were kind of disappointed last week," said Bill Skelley, 74, of Glastonbury, as he watched the parade with his wife, daughter and grandchildren. "But we went to the Irish Club instead. But today is just gorgeous. I've been coming to this parade for 15 years. I really enjoy the bands."

Although the one-week cancellation had organizers scrambling a bit, most of those who had committed to March 17 marched Saturday. "We were able to retain 85 to 90 percent of the paid bands," said Eileen K. Moore, the parade chairwoman.

The biggest loss, Moore said, was the unavailability of high school bands from Rocky Hill, East Granby, Glastonbury and Suffield. "It was disappointing to lose those bands because they lend a local charm," Moore said, "but it was to be expected because of the scheduling conflicts."

Not all the news was bad, however, as the new date allowed the parade to pick up the First Company Governor's Foot Guard and the Manchester Regional Police & Fire Pipe Band.

Before the parade began, the participants gathered on Capitol Avenue near Washington Street.

John Cook, wearing a gold-colored outfit, fiddled with his banjo as his group, The Uptown String Band from the Philadelphia area, prepared. Explaining, or perhaps justifying, the band's gaudy attire, Cook said, "We're basically a Mummers band," referring to the famous Philadelphia Mummers New Year's Day Parade, which is legendary for the marchers' outrageous costumes.

Carol Lemieux, of Southington, was walking with a contingent of 15, plus two guide dogs, from the National Federation of the Blind. Nearby Joe Wysocki of West Hartford, along with Jerry Erwin and his son, Sean, of Southington, sported old Hartford Whalers jerseys.

The trio was planning to ride in a pickup truck with a sign supporting the team's return. "Gov. Rell came up to us before and said she was with us," Wysocki said. "There are a lot of people who would like to see pro hockey return to Hartford."

The theme of this year's parade was "The Sharing of the Green." Organizers had asked spectators to bring nonperishable food items for Foodshare, a regional food bank that serves 42 towns in Hartford and Tolland counties.

"We have places along the route to drop off the donations," said Gloria McAdam, the president of Foodshare, as she sat in the rumble seat of a stretch limo along with her son, DJ. McAdam was this year's Central Connecticut Celtic Cultural Committee person of the year.

Among the politicians observed marching were U.S. Rep. John Larson, D-1st District, Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez, and, of course, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal.

The parade began at 11 a.m., and the last of the approximately 3,000 marchers did not cross the finish line under the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch in Bushnell Park until about 1:30 p.m.

The parade route went down Capitol Avenue, took a left on Main Street, a left on Asylum Street, a left on Ford Street and ended by the arch.

As is usually the case, the crowds were sparse in some sections along the route and thick in other locations.

Asylum Avenue in the vicinity of Mayor Mike's and Black Eyed Sally's restaurants was six and seven deep, and the sidewalk was almost impassable. The same was true up the street, where patrons of McKinnon's Pub stood outside with glasses in hand and watched the marchers pass.

Things were quieter for the moment a short distance away on Pratt Street, where the entire block had been fenced off. As a band warmed up, bartenders waited beneath four open-sided beer tents for the flock of observers expected once the parade was over.

"I opened early," said Frank Cirikovic, owner of Terra Mia, an Italian restaurant. "Last year we were very busy."

A few doors up from Terra Mia, they were charging a $5 cover to get into Vaughan's Public House. "We're not busy yet," said a woman working the door. "But just wait until the parade is over."

Although there are many places to watch the parade, one of the prime spots was at the edge of a parking lot on Ford Street, across the street from the parade's viewing stand.

"We've been coming here for about the last six or seven years," said Ken Barber, whose vehicle along with those of several others was backed into a space that allowed them to tailgate with food and drink while watching the festivities. "We have to get here at 7:30 in the morning to get these spots."

John Freimuth of Bristol, a member of the tailgating group, said he was disappointed when the parade was postponed last week because a group of friends from Boston who were planning to come had missed out. "But the weather today is absolutely beautiful," he said, "You couldn't get a better day to watch a parade."

Copyright 2007, Hartford Courant

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