Like a torrent of liquid flesh, doors opened & a rush of humanity poured out into the 60 degree sun

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They Descended on Center Avenue Like Mad Lemmings

March 19, 2003
By: O. J. Cunningham

Where did they all come from?

Faces, young and old, that had certainly not seen sunlight for months.

Families that had toiled for 40 days and 40 nights under the oppression of below-freezing temperatures.

Like lemmings, they poured out of their homes, apartments and caves . . . spilling into the streets and sidewalks of Bay City . . . drawn by some unknown, undeniable siren's call . . . It was 60+ degrees . . . YESSSSSSSSS!! . . . It was St. Patrick's Day and it was time for the parade.

Parades Remembered
I recall that the Governor of Michigan (Both G. Mennen Williams and Jim Blanchard) used to ride/walk and head up the parade. I also remember the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish Marching Band travelled from South Bend, Indiana to march each year. But then there was that "food incident" in the St. James cafeteria back in the late 1950s . . . and the Fighting Irish Band was never seen in Bay City again.



20 Years Ago - Michigan Governor, James Blanchard (second from right) and former Michigan Governor G. Mennen Williams led the 1983 St. Patrick's Day Parade down the streets of Bay City. The 1983 parade was called one of the best ever by parade officials. Only the cold weather (about 33 degrees) put a slight damper on the festivities. -- Photo courtesy of Bay City Enterprise archives.

Was It A Record Turnout?
I tried to do a little math based on the massive accumulation of humanity at the parade start location - Center @ Park. The local daily estimated that approximately 80,000 turned out to see the parade.

That might be a bit low based on what i saw massed at Center & Park. If the parade route is 2 miles long . . . that's 10,560 feet. But there's 2 sides of the street . . . that makes 21,120 feet of viewing feet. (Try to stay with me)

At Center and Park, people were sometimes 25 people deep, craning necks to get a view of the start. 25 people per foot (that's not even counting held babies) over 21,120 feet of street viewing adds up to 528,000 parade watchers.

Not likely that high . . . but I'm sure the count should have been estimated higher than 80,000.

Meeting Up With Old Friends


Parade Reunion - Fancy meeting you here! - (Left to right)Jessica Cunningham, Martha Martin, Sara Gvozdic and Ryan Schmidt pause for a reunion photo at this year's parade. The girls have been friends since 1st grade at Kolb Intermediate in Bay City. They are all currently high school juniors attending various high schools in and around Michigan.

Final Note: Special Thanks to Andy Rogers for his wonderful and remarkable photo coverage from the top of the Phoenix Building. And kudos of the highest magnitude for the "whirling dervish" photographer Steve Kent who totally captured the very essence of the St. Pat's Parade this year with his "over the top" photo journalistic effort.