1000s Attend St. Patrick's Day Parade In South Boston
BOSTON (CBS/AP) - If you like marching bands and bagpipes, Broadway in South Boston was the place to be on Sunday for the annual St. Patrick's Day parade.
People watched floats, a Chinese dragon, politicians, and even a green Elvis parade by.
"We think it's fabulous. It's Christmas in Southie. We love it," said a Weymouth woman in Southie for the festivities.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Doug Cope reports.
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The 110-year old parade in South Boston began around 1 p.m. Sunday.
Authorities vowed to clamp down on excessive drinking to make the event as family-friendly as possible, but a few hundred arrests related to public drinking were reported.
In addition to the traditional parade, there was a new parade organized by groups banned banned from participating in the historical event.
WBZ-TV's Alana Gomez reports.
Vietnam War Veteran Patrick Scanlon is the coordinator for the Greater Boston chapter of Veterans For Peace. The anti-war group was denied permission to walk in the traditional parade. Scanlon said it was because they were considered too political.
"Too political for the St. Patty's Day Parade? Look around at all the politicians. This parade is political from one end to the other," said Scanlon.
Philip Wuschke organizes the main parade and didn't want to talk about the decision to keep certain groups out.
"I have nothing to say about that," said Wuschke. "We're just trying to run a St. Patrick's Day parade here and we're having a good time."
Earlier Sunday morning, Gov. Deval Patrick and Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray joined Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, Sen. Scott Brown, and others at a St. Patrick's Day leadership breakfast.
WBZ-TV's Alana Gomez contributed to this report.
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