According to the Weather Channel temps are expected to reach 40-45°F by noon, even though a 19°F start to the day is predicted. True, we’ve endured past years of biting artic wind and blinding snow squalls all for the sake of St. Patrick and his marching bands, floats, and of course the popular Mummers. But those tempest days are done.
At my age, warm weather is the determining factor when it comes to spending any length of time outdoors. That and my days of drinking Peppermint Schnapps to numb myself from the cold are LONG GONE. So I hope for nice weather and the chance to get out to Holyoke.
To date I’ve only missed two parades. I feel a kinship to the whole “Irish Weekend” thing as I was born and raised in Holyoke. People come from near-and-far to partake in the hullabaloo.
But I gotta say that I miss those younger days when our friends lived on the parade route. It was a big white two-family house, plastered with banners and shamrock decorations, and a small front yard filled shoulder-to-shoulder with dedicated party-goers. There was Mickey Mouse, and Lucky the Leprechaun, not to mention a whole cast of Irish wannabes raising hell alongside the Paddy’s, and the Wagon’s, lest I forget to mention the Fair Lasses. Truly it was one shindig you didn’t want to miss. Even better, there was access to a heated indoor bathroom a mere 20 feet away.
Fast forward to the last time I attended the parade. The place was locked tight with no sign of life. Yep, our friends flew the coup and the new tenants evidentially want nothing to do with the parade scene.
Now I guarantee there will be no shortage of parties in Holyoke this Sunday, especially along the route. But somehow it just doesn’t feel the same when I know that 6am comes early on Monday morning and I've got an Italian exam to boot.
