First Celebration of Spring, The Annual Saint Patrick Day Parade
Downtown Bay City Comes Alive As Thousands View Parade
March 16, 2015
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By: Stephen Kent
WOW! Forty plus before the parade was over. Quite a change from last year when the thermometer was reading 19!
Today was much more what Bay County folks like. And that temp, combined with no wind and mostly sunny skies brought the people out in the thousands to enjoy the 2015 Saint Patrick Day parade.
The weekend was a real celebration. Saturday featured the Leprechaun Race sponsored by the Bay Area Runners club. Kids were all over for the run. If you were downtown and happened to look toward the Family-Y you may have seen all the flashing lights. It wasn't an accident. Just a lot of fire engines on hand for the kids.
 Sunday included a full slate of events starting with an 8K foot race at 9:00 followed by a 5K run/walk. Mid-morning there was the traditional flag raising ceremony at the County Building. For the hungry, Bay City Central High had a pancake breakfast including a pancake eating contest with Western High.
But we're talking about the parade here. Marching bands from all the local high schools we out in full force. Drums, brass, woodwinds, girls with flags, high stepping drum majors. Along with the school bands there were pipers, fife and drum units, and even a belly dancing group. Of course, the main body of the parade was the many groups and companies that came out to march. All in all, there were over 120 units ... that's what a parade is all about.
For 61 years the annual St. Patrick parade has signaled the arrival of spring. Bay City is famous for it's summer of events and festivals that follow. This year is no exception so get ready, things are going to be hopping before you know it.
Just for the fun of it, you might want to check out these St. Pat's stories from previous years. It's interesting just to see how digital cameras have evolved since 2002:
2019,
2018,
2017,
2016,
2015-a,
2015-b,
2015-c,
2014,
2013-a,
2013-b,
2012,
2011,
2010,
2009,
2008,
2007-a,
2007-b,
2006,
2006-b,
2005,
2004-a,
2004-b,
2003-a,
2003-b,
2003-c,
2002
For another take on the subject of parades, check out what was going on in 1978 in this
1978 Flashback article from the archives of the Bay County Sports Page & Bay City Enterprise newspapers. Published from 1976 through 1984, those papers were the "grandparents" of today's MyBayCity.com.
Stephen Kent
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Steve Kent and his family have lived in Bay City for 40 years. He is VP of Technical Services at MMCC which produces MyBayCity.Com. Kent is active in many Bay City civic organizations.
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