When Irish eyes are smiling, they’re watching the parade
Laura Hahn
Walking downtown to 15th
and Harney on Saturday, March 13, you could hear the sound of clarinets being
tuned and the Omaha Pipes and Drums warming up for the St. Patrick’s Day
Parade. At 11 a.m., the high school
bands and floats are finally all lined up, and the parade can begin.
Each year, thousands of
people make the drive to downtown Omaha and children line up along the street
with their candy bags ready for as much candy as they can grab. Naomi Hageman
and Anna Mandel, fourth graders at St. Margaret Mary School, said the candy was
the best part of the parade.
In years to come, Parade
Chairman John Kennison wants to add more clowns because “Parades are for
kids.” The parade began with a salute
to the American flag followed by the sound of Irish bagpipes and the many
floats provided by various Omaha and surrounding area businesses.
The St. Patrick’s Day parade
not only attracts Girl Scout troops that walked in the parade and businesses
such as Mullhall’s Nursery who contributed floats, but also politicians. Freshman Lauren Steier is the parade
volunteer coordinator for congressman Lee Terry. “I’ve know Terry since I was little,” said Steier. “It’s cool to be in the parade instead of
watching, and I want to be a congressman someday.”
Not only do congressmen and
the Columbus Scotus band enter the festivities, but people such as Miss Douglas
County, Miss Omaha and Miss Nebraska ride along in the back of
convertibles. With smiles and waves,
these beauty queens entertained the estimated crowd of 8,000.
Senior Liz Kenny said, “ It
was a different perspective [being in the parade] cause you see so many people
looking at you and knowing that something you’re doing is causing them to 
be happy.”
For 28 years The Grand
Marshall of the Ancient Hibernians and mayor of Naas, Tim Conway, has been
coming to Omaha to enjoy the St. Patrick’s Day parade. “ I love the people in Omaha,” said Conway,
“ They remind me of my own people.” The
city of Naas is Omaha’s sister city in Ireland.
Seniors Shannon Ryan and
Kerry Steinbaugh entertained the crowd with Irish dancing. “I’ve been Irish dancing for about seven
years,” said Ryan. “My dad is a Hibernian and wanted me to try it. The little girls were really cute.”
Months of preparation go
into the St. Patrick’s Day celebration, held each year on the Saturday before
the holiday. The parade is put on by
the Father Flannigan division of the Ancient Hibernians. The Hibernians are a group of Catholic Irish
men that were founded in 1836.
“Each year we try and build
it [the parade] bigger and better,” said Kennison. “We want more and more people to come out and see it and we want
a variety of entries.”
The Hibernians make phone
calls to all the businesses they think would like to contribute to the
parade. To enter, a $250 entry fee must
be paid. These entry fees help to pay
for the cost of the $4,000 -$5,000, along with the after-parade celebration
held at the Fireman’s Hall where Irish stew and drinks were sold.