Everyone Is Irish For A Day

First, Welcome to my new blog. I hope to make this a commentary on Fort Lauderdale from a citizens point of view.

This past Saturday, I had the honor and privilege of volunteering for the Fort Lauderdale St. Patrick s Day Parade and Festival. This event was resurrect by Fort Lauderdale Mayor John "Jack" P. Seiler after a 17 year hiatus.

Saturday was a beautiful South Florida day. There was excitement in the air from the moment I arrived at the volunteer check in at 9:30 am, until I departed sometime around 7pm. My first assignment was to steer vehicles away from a closed off street. What I learned was a real lesson in civility. I certainly understand the frustration of having to take a different route than one I am used to, but to take your frustration out on another human being is unfair and down right rude. I found that the more expensive the vehicle, the ruder that people got. I almost had my foot run over and was taken "for a ride" while holding on for dear life. My advice "Don't drive angry"

My next assignment was to assist in crowd control by the judges stand. Once again I was witness to the best and worst in people. For the most part people were friendly and cooperative. A few were once again outright rude. I was even called a "fat bi*** and a jackass. We were all there for a good time, but your rudeness never trumps your personal safety.

The parade was super amazing. The streets were lined two and three deep all along the parade route. It took just over 2 hours from start to finish. From politicos to adorable your men and women. The colors were marched down Las Olas with pride. Just a bit of information, in a parade, when the flag is marched by, you should rise in respect for flag and country. Even the natural gas powered garbage truck was decked out in the traditional green.

Off to the festival we (my partner and I) went. There must have been 500 or more people crowded into Huzenga Park. Food vendors sold everything from corned beef and cabbage to oversized green carnations. The bands were incredible and kept the crowd motivated. Without saying, the beer booths were the most popular. The event was schedualed to continue until 9pm but the beer ran out at 5.

Much of the kudos should go to the Mayor for bringing this event back, the city staff that worked so hard, and my hats off to the tireless volunteers for which such a large event could never happen. In conclusion this was most certainly a successful event, if not financially (to be determined) but moral wise. In these harsh economic times, we need events like this to forget the world so that Everyone Is Irish For A Day.