After several days of heavy rain, the skies over Boston finally cleared in time for the annual Allston-Brighton parade on Sunday, when marching bands, neighborhood groups, local businesses and residents celebrated their community for the 22nd straight year.
Mayor Thomas Menino, who marched at the head of the parade, said the parade was one of many events that make Boston a highly involved community compared to other cities across the country.
“It builds community, and community is the most important thing we have in this city,” Menino said. “I’m really proud of what [Allston and Brighton] have done over the past year.”
This year’s parade was organized by Rep. Michael Moran (D-Brighton) after longtime organizer Joe Hogan stepped down because of health concerns. Moran said he hoped to follow in Hogan’s footsteps by putting on a fun event for the community.
“I’m just excited I have a chance to do this,” Moran said. “This is what politics is all about … It gets neighbors talking to neighbors. You look around and everybody’s having a dialogue back and forth. When that happens, only good things can happen.”
With the mayoral and City Council elections less than a month away, the parade also had a distinctly political flavor. Besides Menino, Councilor-At-Large Maura Hennigan — his opponent — and several candidates for City Council courted voters along the parade route.
Hennigan said the parade not only promotes community involvement, but also allows residents to interact with their elected representatives. “What’s so important about the parade is that people want to be able to see their elected officials,” Hennigan said, explaining that it is especially important for officials to be available because of recent struggles in Allston-Brighton, such as school closings.
Joan Pasquale, a local community activist, agreed with Henningan about involvement by politicians.
“It’s very important for [officals] to get exposure … and it’s important [for residents] to talk to these people to find out who they are and what they’re all about,” Pasquale said.
Sam Yoon, a new candidate for city councilor-at-large, said parades are a particularly good way to reach out to voters because of the type of people who attend such events.
“People who come to parades are naturally interested in the neighborhood,” Yoon said. “They have a sense of civic pride.”
Besides the interaction with politicians, Allston-Brighton residents enjoyed the North End Marching Band, rowers from the Head of the Charles Regatta with oars in hand and clowns handing out religious literature to support a local church.
Brighton residents Teresa Doherty and Diana Gallagher said this year’s event was better than last year’s, thanks in large part to new musical attractions.
“We come out here every year to support them,” Doherty said. “It’s a nice get-together.”
After the parade, residents gathered at a park in Brighton’s Oak Square for a cookout, children’s games and face painting.
But despite the attractions, the number of residents attending the parade was relatively low. Some stretches of Allston and Brighton streets were almost empty as the parade’s participants marched through them.
Yoon said the problem was that the parade needed to be advertised better.
“I met some people on the street who said, ‘What’s going on?'” Yoon noted. “But regardless, parades are just fun. It’s a fun way for people to meet and take part in the neighborhood.”
Residents and officials alike agreed that although the turnout was low at points, the parade was still a success.
“I think it went well,” said Jason Cincotti, a Moran staffer who helped organize the event. “The community groups that were a part of it made it a success. This was a real neighborhood community parade.”