Hell week in March!

There are a lot of people who give the city of Holyoke a bad name, and I think those people are just jealous of the things we have! You see it’s almost March! For us, that means hopefully warmer weather, spring break for us college students and the famous Parade Day weekend. But for me, that whole week is dedicated to having a blast and taking hold of my Irish roots!

The week starts off slow and the anticipation for the upcoming weekend drives some people crazy. In high school, all the kids are talking about where they’re going to be and how trashed they’re going to be. The band is in crunch time, preparing for the 3-mile parade route. And making sure that they have all of their songs memorized. Everyone has already had corned beef and cabbage at least five times already and if they are offered more they are going to take it, because no one passes on an opportunity to eat more corned beef and cabbage along with succulent potatoes and carrots.

Wednesday is here and Northampton Street is slowly beginning to get filled with lawn chairs, benches, and one year I am pretty sure someone put a lazy boy chair out. But there are always those people who complain about putting their chairs out too early.

Friday is here and the streets have freshly painted shamrocks that will the marchers to their destination, but they just add a little fun and a little greener. The fried dough and toy vendors have their trailers all set up and waiting for the events to start in the morning. The Grand Colleen and her court visit schools and nursing homes listing to their favorite memories. Liza Hurley, a friend of mine was a colleen a few years ago and she says that for her the weekend makes her feel like a kid again.

The sun is shining on this glorious Saturday morning, its road race day. Last year there were over 6,000 runners from all over the United States. Walking through the crowded streets of downtown Holyoke is a thrill, runners and spectators all piled together filling out the streets. The Irish pubs are open from dawn to dusk. Runners drinking a Guinness before, during and after the race. Fans have water spots throughout the race handing out water and beer. The weekend is basically a drinking fest. The race starts and the runners are off! The 2-mile uphill battle is hell for some of the runners but after that it is a nice long downhill run all the way down to city hall! Celebratory drinks are a must for runners and everyone else.

Parade day is finally here and I cannot even contain my excitement anymore! The day starts off with my dad running around the house making sure he looks good in his uniform. He is the drum Sargent in the Holyoke Caledonian Pipe and drum band. I am pretty sure he is more of a diva than I am. The parade begins and the people are all swarmed on the street cheering at everything, drinking their beers and slurping down their green jello shots. The smells of fried food pollute the air making your mouth water. The floats are hypnotizing, especially the one the Grand Colleen and her court get to sit on. Being a little girl I always dreamed of being up there one day. As the parade is coming to an end, and you’ll know when you see the Shriners and their little go carts. It’s sad knowing that we’ll have to wait a whole year to do this again.