Matthew Hartle stood outside Free State Brewery on Saturday, drinking a beer and watching the St. Patrick's Day Parade coast past on Massachusetts Street.
"What an awesome day for a parade," he said aloud to a crowd five deep at the brewery's beer garden. Hartle then looked into the sky.
Girl Scouts from Troops No. 710 and No. 744 blow bubbles and shoot green Silly String as they participate Saturday in the 14th annual Lawrence St. Patrick's Day Parade. The Girl Scouts' float had the theme "The Enchanted Forest."
"The sun's out, it's not too cold. It's just been an awesome show. Just miles and miles of smiles," the Lawrence man said, sporting one of his own.
Hartle and thousands of others lined Massachusetts Street on Saturday afternoon to watch Lawrence's 14th annual St. Patrick's Day Parade, consisting of about a three-block collection of vehicles and floats that traveled through downtown and across the Kansas River en route to the Flamingo Club in North Lawrence.
Danny McDonough, who carried a banner proclaiming his family's name and ancestry, walked before a float built by the McDonough clan. The words "Paddy Wagon" and "Galway County, Ireland" were painted on the side of a green 1956 Chevrolet panel truck, which McDonough's nephew Jason drove during the parade.
"There's enough McDonoughs to do everything," Danny McDonough said as about a dozen children scrambled behind him on the float.
McDonough, who on Saturday celebrated his eighth St. Patrick's Day as a Lawrence resident, said the parade was a unique opportunity for him and others of Irish heritage to celebrate their roots.
"My dad was so Irish," McDonough said, adding that his father, who emigrated from Ireland in 1926 at age 3, died last year at 77. "And this has always been a day to celebrate, a family day. We eat a little corned beef, drink a little green beer and just enjoy the parade."
Children sprinted up and down the sidewalks, searching for a better view. Green balloons on strings bounced from stroller handles and toddlers' wrists as families found a spot to watch the scene.
"There are only two nationalities in the world the Irish and those who wish they were," said Lawrence resident Wanda Culbertson, who wore a floppy green felt hat as she watched the parade with her daughter and son-in-law, Lorie and Joe Marschie.
Also sporting festive headgear were Laura Vance and Shannon Conlin, both of Lawrence. Conlin wore a white felt hat patterned with green shamrocks, and Vance had on a green head band, from which sprouted shamrock-topped wire antennae.
"I've always loved St. Patrick's Day," Vance said. "I just get into the spirit of it and definitely the green."
Dressed more like a parade participant than a spectator, Pat Willis, Eudora, watches the passing fanfare. Willis recalled winning the best costume category in the parade several years ago.
To ensure an unobstructed view of the parade, Michael Duncan, 9, Lawrence takes a tree-top position along Massachusetts Street. In the center photo, Joe Walker, Lawrence, watches the St. Patrick's Day Parade with his friend Irene Beeson. Walker says that he has sported the green mohawk since Christmas, and he didn't plan on changing his hair until after St. Patrick's Day.
Elaine VanDeventer, left, and Andrew Madl ride in the St. Patrick's Day parade in classic Irish-Egyptian style mounted on camels courtesy of Hedrick Exotic Animals of Nickerson. The two riders were part of The Sandbar float Saturday, which proclaimed "Everybody's Irish on St. Patrick's day."
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