By Mailan Nyugen
Staff Writer
Hermosa Beach hosted it’s 22nd annual Saint Patrick’s day parade on Saturday, Mar. 12 at City Hall to celebrate Irish-American heritage and culture.
Since the first annual parade in 1995, 30,000 people come each year to celebrate their Irish-American heritage, and according to Hermosa Resident Monique Vranesh, the hometown local feel it gives.
“I have been going for 13 years and it has always been such a festive parade,” Vranesh said. “Hermosa Beach is known for this gathering with family and friends to celebrate this special event and their Irish heritage is just so much fun, especially going with my children.”
Many local businesses, clubs and organizations such as the Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts and bands join together to march, drive cars, and ride floats through the parade. According to former Hermosa View teacher Jan Stewart, they enjoy the cheers from the crowds as they listen to the traditional Irish music and bagpipers.
“I got to walk in the parade with all of the Girl Scouts, it was so amazing to see our amazing community come together as a big group and have so much fun,” Vranesh said. “You get to see the young and the old all just having fun.”
Out of the estimated 30,000 people that come to enjoy the 7 block tradition, many are families that have attended for most of their life. According to Vranesh for those families, going to this parade is now become an annual event, bringing families together to have a great time watching the parade, eating delicious food and enjoying the beautiful weather.
“It was a perfect day to have the parade, the weather was beautiful and everything was so amazing, I could see the joy on everyone’s faces as I passed them,” Stewart said. “This was an incredible Saint Patrick’s day parade that I will never forget.”
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