Papa Rocco’s St. Paddy’s Walking Parade will roll again

Papa Rocco’s St. Paddy’s Walking Parade will roll again
Grand Marshall Bill McGinnes will send throng off around 9:30 a.m.

By Fran Thompson
Although a recent medical procedure will keep him from leading the green throng of soon-to-be good friends on its merry walk through downtown Gulf Shores in search of alcohol laden beverages and good times, grand marshall Bill McGinnes hopes to be hanging at Papa Rocco’s greeting pals old and new all day.
In his stead, partner Kenneth Jones will call the bagpipers to order when it is time for the parade to move on.
The occasion is the annual Papa Rocco’s St. Patrick’s Day Walking Parade, which will depart from that bistro’s deck two blocks north of the BigBeach on Hwy. 59 somewhere around 9:30 a.m. on March 17.
“I’ll be the grand marshall as long as I am alive. I just can’t make the walk this year. That is not going to take away from the fun,’’ McGinnes said. “I’ll leave it to the bagpipers and Ken to handle things. This is not about me anyway. This is about people getting together and having fun.’’
This year’s stops will include The Ice House Taproom, Mudbugs, Mikees, The Steamer, Desoto’s, The Hangout and The Pink Pony. The pied-pipers leading the revelers will include Papa’s nephew, Neil McGinnes and Malcolm McLean.
The crawl ends around 2 p.m.. and by then most of the crowd will have stopped along the way to eat a meal or sip an extra libation.
Sponsored by McGinnes, the parade of pubs has been a Gulf Shores tradition since the mid-1970’s when then Pink Pony Pub owner Vince Murphy recruited the late bagpiper Jocko McLain and a few friends to visit a list of bars that mostly no longer exist.
Murphy passed the baton to local character John Kelliher, who led the swarm behind Jocko into Papa Rocco’s just after McGinnes opened his restaurant in 1985. Kelliher, The Colonel to his friends, deemed McGinnes worthy of the grand marshal’s position around 1989.
“This started as a way to give the local restaurants a jump on the season,’’ McGinnes said. “We really didn’t have a spring break back then. It’s gotten a lot bigger, obviously. I’m expecting the biggest crowd yet.
“People come from all over Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. Our snowbirds love it. And we get some spring breakers. We even have grandkids of some of the originals coming out with us,’’ McGinnes added.
McGinnes has an official parade permit from Gulf Shores City Hall, and GSPD will provide safety patrol during the parade. The Green Horde is easy to find, as the crowd takes over the grounds at every stop.
This is the eighth parade since the passing of the parade’s original bagpiper, who died in August of 2017 at his home in Canada. But Jocko will always be a big part of the festivities and the heart and soul of the parade, according to McGinnes.
“I met Jocko at the American Legion and we immediately sat down and killed off a bottle of Irish whiskey between us,’’ McGinnes said. “We started talking about Scotland and The Rangers (soccer team) and it was like we had known each other for years. There were a couple of years when we got carried away and had to hitch a ride back to Papa Rocco’s, but I can’t do that anymore.’’
“Jocko was the original,’’ McGinnes added. “He was doing it way before my boys came down and played. We were close for many years. Jock gave me my first kilt.’’
McGinnes said he thinks in addition to being an opportunity for generations of families to spend time together, the parade’s allure is that it is also a reunion for old friends that know for sure they will see each other on St. Patrick’s Day in downtown Gulf Shores.
“Lots of people come up and tell me they look forward to this every year,’’ McGinnes said. “Ken will lead the parade, but I will still be the grand marshal, just as I have been for almost 40 years.
“There are so many longtimers that are not with us anymore, too many to name really,’’ McGinnes said.
There was no spring break season in Gulf Shores in 1979. Many local restaurants and retailers closed up shop between Labor Day and Memorial Day weekends.
“When Vince Murphy started this, there were maybe 30 people,’’ McGinnes said. “No way we ever dreamed it would get this big. All we were trying to do was make it be a good time while giving a little jump start to the local pubs.’’
McGinnes said he loves that the parade is a way for wintering grandparents to spend a fun day with their adult children and adult grandchildren. He added that a big part of the parade’s allure is that it is often a reunion for old friends that know for sure they will see each other on St. Patrick’s Day in downtown Gulf Shores.
“We want to make sure that people are being safe when crossing public roads. That’s paramount. People need to stay safe,’’ he said. “I’m not even sure we should be calling it a parade. But we are not sure what we are doing besides having fun.’’
The Gulf Shores Police Dept. has asked all participants to drink from plastic cups (available at Papa Rocco’s beginning at 8 a.m.), stay on the sidewalks, obey traffic signals and use discretion when consuming cocktails.