By the time the Fusion Drill Team hit the corner of Chapel and College as part of New Haven’s annual St. Patrick’s Day parade on Sunday, the drummers were locked into a driving, jumping groove that turned the team’s march into more like a sprint. On a signal from somewhere, the team’s steppers sprang into their routine, turning Chapel Street into something that looked more like an ocean.
The crowd whooped and whistled. Even the sirens from the police motorcycles trying to move in the opposite direction fell into time.
Brian Slattery Photo
St. Peter’s Drum Corps, from Torrington, Ct.
The drill team was one of dozens of groups of marchers who came from near and far to take part in the parade.
Celtic Cross.
Some represented the parade’s origins in the Irish-American community, which held New Haven’s first St. Patrick’s Day parade on March 17, 1842.
And what is a parade without a military band?
A few spectators made a quick climb onto scaffolding mounted on the back of a truck to get a better view.
Meanwhile, the parade made room for the crew of the Midsummer Fantasy Renaissance Faire.
A possible customer tries on one of Tambaco’s hats.
Ana Tambaco’s stand on the block of Chapel between College and High was where it always was, but she was selling St. Patrick’s‑themed stuff in addition to her usual supply of jewelry and knitted hats. She arrived at 8:30 a.m. and planned to stay until 4 or 5 p.m., and figured she’d make $300 to $350 more than she usually does at the parade.
“We come every year,” she said. She said that due to the warm weather, she might not do as well as she has in the past, as fewer underdressed spectators would come to her stand to buy one of her hats, which she makes herself. In years past, she’s sold a lot of them. “They don’t care about what they look like,” she joked. “They just want to stay warm!”
Rudolph.
Gabe Rudolph usually keeps his hot dog stand near the Family Dollar on the block of Chapel Street near State. On Sunday he was at Chapel and York, serving hot dogs, Georgia hots, and kebobs pretty much hand over fist. He’d gotten there at 10 a.m. and expected to be there until 4 p.m., making “a few hundred more” than he usually does. Was working the parade more fun than the average day?
“Yeah, a lot more fun — more people!” he said.