Boston St. Patrick's Parade Welcome Sight For Businesses After Long Winter
BOSTON (CBS) – The St. Patrick's Day parade in South Boston is just hours away and resident are excited for the annual event.
"Southie is about celebrating a shared heritage of being Irish," South Boston resident Leah Winters said.
However, Winters wishes the parade was cancelled because of the amount of snowfall Boston has received. She was busy shoveling her sidewalk on Saturday.
"It's ugly and it's not safe. We plan to have children out here to watch parade," Winters said.
All throughout the week residents and city workers have been busy removing what's left of the sidewalk snow.
This year the parade route will be shortened and crowds are expected to be about 10 people deep.
"Finally the snow is going away and lot of people want to get out. It will be good for business," Mayor Marty Walsh said.
At the Galley Diner, parade traffic is a much needed boost from a long slow winter.
"It's has been brutal because people are staying home and there's been no place for people to park," owner Colleen Campbell said.
At Stapleton Floral on Broadway, festive flowers are selling fast.
"Our hot seller is the green carnations. Everybody buys bows for their doors," Bety Tsaousidis of Stapleton Floral said.
The city expects hundreds of thousands to participate in this year's parade.