The problem with typical Irish-American culture are all the nasty stereotypes that go along with it, the biggest of which includes the open and sometimes vast consumption of alcohol. It allows people
not affiliated with our culture a cloud cover to hide behind, and that's getting wildly drunk and/or obnoxious in public without censure, but that's only part of it for us.
The "pub" is an institution: part community center ("pub", as in a public house that's serves the community), part stage for the art of storytelling that's enhanced with a pint or two, part musician's venue, part restaurant, part psychiatrist's office, part meeting room, part boarding house, part illicit den...in short, it's woven into our culture in many, many different ways, and there's alcohol served as well.
But, outsiders don't always get those parts, so we tend to stay away from rank amateur hours like the big city parade (that's for tourists!), as we steer our kiddies towards safer havens, like a small town parade. Ours is a bit repetitive and boring, and it sure brings out the loud, nasty drunk who's brazen enough to do it in public for the whole town to see, around children, and under a noonday sun, but that's part of who we are, too. I don't turn away from the bad stuff, and neither should you. We're adults. We can handle it.
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| Party skills are essential, especially when open container laws are in effect. |
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| Someone's getting the parade "feel"! That's me in the hat and sunglasses. |
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| My café table and aggressor: kids bumped into it and it fell onto my foot. |
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| Tutus from the toy store proprietress in town are always a favorite. |
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| "Hey, I want some popcorn, too!" said the St. Bernard to his new friend. |
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| The Polar Bear Princess wore a tiara over her hat! |
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| Honoring our vets, one pin at a time. |
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| Lots of other geegaws on sale, too. |
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| Nice coat! I love the "Dogs on Parade" part the best. |
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| Our parade always begins with New York's Finest at the lead. |
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| It's not all good looks and glamour: sometimes ya gotta shovel it. |
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| Pomp and circumstance, with music and color. Alright! |
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| Hey, man! Whassup?! Is he walking on stilts? |
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| You know you're good when you can play without hands. |
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| These horses are huge! The sorrel-colored horse is spectacular. |
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| Cute, but the bands' awful. Oh well. Pearl River Pirates are great wrestlers! |
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| North Rockland had the best school band, I thought. Great outfits, too. |
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| No way?! "G.I. Joe with the Kung-Fu Grip" is here! Awesome! |
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| Representing Boston. They took the "Most Snowfall" category this year. |
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| Big crowd this year, and getting bigger every year. |
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| Soccer kids! They were fun and energetic, also starting a tradition young. |
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| Kids love the parade. They wear costumes and special Irish outfits! |
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| Lots of flash and razzle-dazzle. It's a show, after all! |
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| Adults watching in the shadows, taking it all in. |
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| The party ends with a big dump truck for all the garbage. Reality sets in. |
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| A Gladiator, or two, or three hundred or more, thrown into the mix. |
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| Real heroes with red fire trucks are always welcome at the house on the hill. |
