With blue skies and a “feels like” temperature of 25º, the seventh annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Edgartown stepped off at 11:30 am with James Joyce on bagpipes and parade marshal John Murray leading the way down Dock Street. The participants this year included Rose Chaves-Murray, who drove the Mini Cooper with a colorful rainbow balloon arch overhead and a life-size leprechaun in the passenger seat. Jowena Bailey, housekeeping supervisor at the Kelley House, and her staff tossed beads to the crowd as they walked the route. Ponies owned by Kim Baker dressed in sparkling green top hats and shamrock neck wreaths brought smiles to all. As the end of the parade made its way to the the Newes from America Pub, the crowd that gathered in front of the Kelley House was in for a special treat.
Invited by the parade organizers, this was the first time dancers of the Kanaley School of Irish Dance, based in Hyannis, performed traditional dances on the parade route. Teagan Tierney, Delaney Kavanaugh, Nina Pierre, and Colleen Mahoney, all age 10, have been training and competing for four years, averaging three to four practice sessions a week. As their black shoes began to click on the wooden platform, the awestruck crowd drew in closer as the dancers, with great precision, performed their routine — the highlight of the parade.
The parade draws parallels to the On Time ferry to Chappaquiddick, only a short block away — brief and full of wonder.
