1,000s fill Southie streets

Bostonians bedecked in green crowded the streets of South Boston Sunday for the 104th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, as South Boston residents watched from the roofs and balconies of nearby apartments and voices claiming Irish descent rose above the sounds of bagpipes in the streets.

The parade, which began at the corner of West Broadway and Dorchester Street in front of the Cornerstone pub, continued down Broadway to the jubilant shouts of 750,000 onlookers, according to Boston police estimates.

City Council President Michael Flaherty, who stood at the parade’s starting point, said more than 1 million people attended the parade last year and expected similar numbers this year depending on the weather.

“So far the weather’s cooperating,” he said, adding that he hoped parade-goers would celebrate “in a respectful way.”

The Boston Police Department was out in full force to ensure the safety of parade participants and viewers, but declined to comment on any specific safety concerns.

The party started early for a number of college students who rode over on the T sporting green glowsticks, plastic leprechaun hats – and alcohol.

“My parents have always talked about [the parade], so I’m going to check it out,” said Simmons College freshman Amy Butterworth, before being drowned out by a group of guys yelling incoherently at the Park Street T stop.

At the event, however, families constituted a majority of the crowd, lining up with lawn chairs and coolers along the street.

“Do you want some green hair?” asked eight-year-old Sarah Keelan of Somerville, dangerously wielding a can of hair spray.

Six-year-old Taylor Martin claimed to have seen some leprechauns, but when asked how they looked, he replied, “They looked plastic.” Keelan and Martin agreed that the best part of the parade was the free candy.

An array of uniformed men and women from all over the Northeast were present, not only to keep the crowds in check but also to participate in the festivities.

Lt. John Mallon from the Yonkers, N.Y., Police Department said he was there to “show our New York colors to the Boston people.” On Sunday, their colors appeared to be green – each officer was festooned with enormous quantities of beaded necklaces.

Sunday was the Yonkers department’s first time in the parade, said Lt. Billy Cobb – himself born in County Down, Ireland – as officers standing on the balcony of the South Boston station saluted those in the street.

A number of uniformed men from the past were present as well, celebrating Evacuation Day, a Boston holiday that falls on the same date as St. Patrick’s Day. To celebrate the day that British troops were forced from Boston, minutemen in tri-corner hats marched down Broadway shooting blanks from their rifles and wielding their bayonets.

The parade also provided local business owners a nice boost, particularly those located along Broadway. Lines of people waiting to buy alcohol trailed from the doors of local convenience stores.

A street vendor who identified himself as Mack said his Irish Pride t-shirts were “selling like hotcakes.”

“We don’t open up ’til after the parade goes by, because the employees are watching, but we expect a crowd,” said Jimmy M., a bartender at Amrheins Restaurant on Broadway.

Kilt-clad groups such as the Irish Air Corps Pipe Band seemed to be the most common performers; but a number of high school marching bands from areas like Salem and West Roxbury performed as well.

Some of the more unique performers included a family of unicyclists that played wooden flutes, a team of Clydesdales pulling the Budweiser wagon – to the delighted cheers of the surrounding crowd – and the ubiquitous Fuze van, blaring its loudspeaker as always.

As the festivities wound to a close, street cleaners and garbage collectors followed, and a stiff wind blew tangled masses of confetti about.

“It’s always a great event,” Dorchester resident Terry Mooers said contentedly.