By Sal Giarratani
I always try and make it to the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Southie. When I was a kid growing up in Roxbury, my family would board the City Point bus at Dudley Station to Andrew Square where the parade once kicked off from before the parade was turned inside out.Back in the day when the parade ended at the Lower End by Broadway Station, it used to keep the Boston cops too busy. TAoo many drunks on West Broadway waiting forever for the parade to reach them as they kept as they say refreshing themselves.
Today the Lower End is now Yuppiue Heaven, it looks more like the South End then the South End.
This is no longer my parents’ South Boston. It has been discovered and has become the place to pour your money into. Old St.Peter’s St. Paul’s, the place no long has Masses but it does have masses of money in those luxury quarters.
This year’s parade had some of its traditional controversy but Chester Darling fixed that problem like he did the other one back in 1995. This year’s parade was large and everyone was having a great time. Lots of families with young kids or dogs if you lived closer to those West Broadway condos.
The issue of the short route was so yesterday’s news. The long route took in everything including Dorchester Heights where General Washington smiled as he saw the British fleet escape from Boston Harbor.
Plenty of clowns and politicians marched throughout the parade streets. Sometimes, though, it was a bit difficult knowing the difference between these two groups.
While I was ready to march with my pal Sheriff Stevie Tompkins, I bumped into Jimmy Collins who once represented Charlestown up on Beacon Hill but is now known mostly as state Rep. Nick Collin’s dad. He still looks pretty good and has morphed into a Townie-Southie guy quite well.
My best parade is alweays the Bunker Hill Day parade. My ma always told me, my first Charlestown Parade was back in 1948 shortly after I was born and over the year’s I often viewed this parade with my family, remembering the old route that went straight through City Square, past the Police Station 15 and those free Hoodsies.
Opps, I almost forgot. Back after Pearl Harbor, mu Uncle Joe Harrington fro,m Charlestown was living in Southie when he enlisted into the US Navy too.
Jimmy Collins and Sal Giarratani attending the South Boston’s Citizens Association’s Pre-Parade Banquet at the South Boston Convention Center on March 18.
CHRIS LONG JOINS THE PATRIOTS
The New England Patriots trying to shore up their passing depth have signed veteran Chris Long. Long who turns 31 this month is aboard on a one year deal is as most Townies know, the son of former NFL great Howie Long, the only Townie in the NFL Hall of Fame.
Howie Long was the reason that there were lots of Raiders fans back in his days of NFL fame.