So it took me a while to finally finish this and post it, but alas, it is here. Not like it's going to win anything, but here is my interpretation of Springfield, Illinois during the 2010 St. Patrick's Day weekend.
Thousands of wild drunks ascend the streets of Springfield clamoring, hammering and stammering toward troughs like pigs for the feed. Each soul is dressed from head to toe in green garb, saluting the patron Saint Patrick, though I fear and doubt most couldn't tell what he did. The behavior can range from fun and wild to downright boorish. Some lost their corn beef and cabbage through emesis, while other wolf down potatoes and green beer as it was their last Irish day on earth.
That green mass swells the sidewalks of downtown and walking through the crows is like trudging through quicksand. Hello's, good byes and Irish car bombs turn the air into a salty mix of upheaval. There is nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. You are cocoon-wrapped in the annual St. Patrick's parade.
Parking is a nightmare and most have to park tens of blocks away, walk through the minefield of babies to make their way to the designated party zone. 5 th St. between Washington and Capitol is where the drunkards swill and spent most of their time. Outside of those parameters, families take their children to witness the parade, away from the people with loose morals and hot tongues. The one time a year where drinking the streets is condoned and full advantage is taken in this situation. While some sneak in cheap beverages, most will stick to the troughs of chilled Budweiser and Bud Light in green bottles.
And all of this happens before the parade starts at noon. Once the procession establishes itself, all eyes are fixated on the street. Floats, cars, motorcycles fill the pavement with excitement, cheer and jubilation. For children, it's the abundance of candy most only know inside of Halloween, making this day especially enjoyable. For the "adults", beads take top billing. Green shiny necklaces with emblems of shamrocks and other beverages sponsors assault the air by the thousands. While the girls don't flash the cleavage for those beads like Mardi Gras, some nipples will be seen today.
Once the parade is over, the overage abundance of people hit the local pubs and bars for watered down meisterchow, corned beef and anything alcoholic.
By 4 pm, the downtown scene turns into a delightful cold and green spring break. enemies become the best of friends, old flames may reunited and good friends coagulate together for one extra special day of debauchery. Everything swells with the immense amount of people clogging every pour of sidewalk, crevasse and bathroom in a four square block radius.
Mouths squawk, but nothing makes sense. Words fall from tongues upon imbibed ears, yet those precious moments will rarely be remembered. What will stay intact will be the piece together photos taken from this glorious day. Starting from the happy and holy sober pictures from the beginning to the tattered and messes portraits of the end of the day, everyone will wish the had ended on a stronger note.
Stronger as in that most will need to be carried from their drinks, thrown into cabs or friends cars and shuttled off to a sober living facility.
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