St. Patrick's Day Hit with Lucky Bit O' Weather WITH VIDEO

By Rachel Jackson
The News-Herald
March 17, 2012

http://news-herald.com/articles/2012/03/18/news/nh5247198.txt


[with video]

From Irish wolfhounds to Irish step-dancing, Irish songs and Irish legends, Northeast Ohio's Hibernian heritage was celebrated throughout the region Saturday.

Organizers of Cleveland's St. Patrick's Day Parade had forecast record turnout for the event, which at age 145 is the oldest such parade in the area.

With tens of thousands of marchers and many more viewers, the two-hour parade also is the largest in the region and the highlight of a full day of celebrations that include banquets, Mass and other activities.

Saturday, visitors from across the region lined Superior Avenue to cheer for teams of Irish step-dancers and bagpipers of all ages, as well as drum corps, high school marching bands, the U.S. Marine Corps Band and Irish-American clubs from the east and west sides of Cleveland.

Catholic schools and churches also had a strong presence, with many of the church representatives carrying signs of support for the closed parishes. The Vatican recently reversed a 2010 order from the Cleveland Diocese that had closed a number of area churches.

But the topic that had people talking the most Saturday was the weather. Despite the fact it is mid-March in Ohio, the skies were clear and sunny and afternoon air temperatures hovered at a balmy record-breaking 77 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. That's 5 degrees above the previous record high temperature for the same date in Cleveland, set in 1945.

"It's a wonderful day. The sun is shining, the crowds have been lining up here since 10 a.m.," Deputy Director Linda Hannon said as the parade was beginning at 1 p.m.

Hannon is part of a team of directors overseeing the annual parade, which is sponsored by the United Irish Societies of Greater Cleveland.

"It's like summer," Hannon said.

Contact: RJackson@News-Herald.com