They flocked to the sidewalks, perched on rooftops, and sat on curbside mattresses and cushions – nearly 350,000 of them – all to celebrate Irish heritage at the 65th annual Holyoke St. Patrick’s Parade.
As early as 6 a.m., visitors began staking their claim on viewing spots along the 2.65-mile route beginning at the Ingleside section of Holyoke and ending downtown.
The crowd was nearly ten times the population of Holyoke, according to parade president Michael Ahearn, but he felt right at home among the masses.
“As you march down the street, you see the same families on the same spots … every year,” he said. “It’s like going home for Thanksgiving. You can’t wait for it to happen, can’t wait to see all the smiling faces of your loved ones.”
Jacki Stiles of Northampton noted that St. Patrick’s Day has a way of bringing everyone together.
“Families get together and talk about how Irish they are, going back and back and back in their ancestry.”
A family connection provided the way for first-time parade participate Kamdyn DeFranco of Northampton to join nearly 40 marching groups in bringing Irish cheer to the crowd through music, dance, and wild costumes.
“I’ve got butterflies in my stomach,” DeFranco said at the start of the parade, while sporting green and orange hairspray, white canvas shoes decorated with fabric paint, and several festive neck pieces. The 10-year-old marched along with the Easthampton St. Patrick’s Parade Committee with her step-aunt and 2016 Easthampton Marshal Coreen Foote.
The parade was the culmination of a week of related St. Patrick’s Day festivities, including the annual St. Patrick’s Chamber Breakfast on Friday, the Holyoke St. Patrick’s 10K Road Race on Saturday, and several Colleen events and award ceremonies.
“March is St. Patrick’s day — the entire month,” Stiles said. “It’s basically a season for me.”
Stiles, who is a new bartender at McLadden’s gastropub and whiskey bar in downtown Northampton, joined staff members on McLadden’s Leprechaun Castle, one of the parade’s 18 floats.
“Everyone is generally happy, winter is over,” Stiles said, regarding the holiday celebration. “We’re together and we’re doing stuff together.”
While Ahearn has been participating in the parade since 1976, his connections continue to grow through the event.
“It’s like a second family,” he said. “We (St. Patrick’s Committee of Holyoke Inc.) work all year long to put the second biggest parade in the nation down the street.” Ahearn said New York City’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade is the largest.
“Everyone is Irish today,” he added, “but being able to relish your Irish heritage with this kind of crowd means a lot.”
Sarah Crosby can be reached at scrosby@gazettenet.com