Firefighters and St. Patrick's Day Parade

by John Fischer
(Delray Beach, Florida)

Big Red Engine Loaded with Kids! <br>(click on each picture to enlarge)

Big Red Engine Loaded with Kids!
(click on each picture to enlarge)

Ladder Truck <br>(click on each picture to enlarge)

Ladder Truck
(click on each picture to enlarge)

Family Fun! There's a Place for Every Age <br>(click on each picture to enlarge)

Family Fun! There's a Place for Every Age
(click on each picture to enlarge)

Pride / Honor / Tradition <br>(click on each picture to enlarge)

Pride / Honor / Tradition
(click on each picture to enlarge)

Firefighters Turn St. Patrick's Day Parade into an International Event

Growing up in New York, I would go to the N.Y.C. St. Patrick's Day Parade every year, so moving to South Florida, I brought those fond memories with me.

I've been a Palm Beach County Firefighter for 24 years now. And I've been going to the Delray Beach St. Patrick's Parade for that long as well.

It's always been the greatest Florida St. Patty's Parade experience for me, but part of that experience was to see scattered "bald spots" along the avenue, where there seemed to be little-to-no spectators.

This years 42nd annual parade, there were NO bald spots. It was solid people all the way through, from beginning to end.

I had approached Bern Ryan from Festival Management Group (The people who organize and run the parade) about having a group of Firefighters march in the parade, with honor guards, color guards carrying the flags, fire trucks, fire service bagpipe bands, fire department ladder trucks holding 5 very large flags over Atlantic Avenue, and a few other various fire department tradition-oriented things. A small sliver of American tradition that a lot of Floridians grew up seeing in their hometown parades in the North East and Mid West.

A Little Irish Luck

Well, Irish Luck would have it, this idea was well received, and is now the basic foundation of the Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade in Delray Beach, which is Florida's largest St. Patrick's Day Parade.

What you saw in this year's (2010) parade, was hundreds of firefighters from all across the continental United States, and from Ireland marching proudly and displaying their uniforms and apparatuses (trucks) representing their communities for all to see.

Your firefighters will be back at it again next year and in a big way!

Slainte'!!

Check Calendar of Events Page
For Next St. Patrick's Day Parade Dates

Dear Readers: View my Delray Beach Calendar of Events page to see when the next St. Patrick's Day Parade and St. Patrick Day Celebations will be held in downtown Delray Beach.

Pictures of Fun From Past
St. Patrick's Day Celebrations

Go to: St. Patrick's Day 2010.

Go to: Firefighters and St. Patrick's Day Parade.

Go to: 42nd Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade.

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