Parade Marshall Bill McGinnes vows the event will have a safe return in 2022
Parade Marshall Bill McGinnes vows the event will have a safe return in 2022
By Fran Thompson
The Irish do love their melancholy. And every year there is a certain sadness among oldtimers reminiscing about longtime practitioners no longer alive to join their friends for the Gulf Shores St. Patrick’s Day Walking Parade. That is the nature of life and the nature of an event that traces its roots back to the 1970’s.
The parade usually departs from Papa Rocco’s around 9:30 a.m. on March 17 for an annual song filled stroll to various downtown Gulf Shores watering holes.
Papa Rocco’s will still open for business at 9 a.m. on St. Paddy’s Day, but parade melancholy will remain for the second consecutive year, as Covid-19 protocols and health concerns have forced parade marshall (and Papa Rocco’s owner) Bill McGinnes to reluctantly cancel the parade.
“We submitted the paperwork to the city for a permit. But I just don’t see how we can guarantee that we will be able to follow the state’s Covid protocols,’’ McGinnes said. “There is just no way that we can control over 1,000 people. I decided if I cam going to make an error, it’s going to be an error on the side of safety.’’
Papa Rocco’s and many other local restaurants will still be celebrating all tings Green on March 17, but McGinnes and his band of bagpipers will not lead the throng from pub to pub.
“Of course I want to do it,’’ McGinnes added. “It’s a boost for all of the businesses down here. That’s how it started. But I just don’t see how we can do it safely. We will be back next year. You can count on that.’’
Vince Murphy, who at that time owned The Pink Pony, started the walking parade and was first to carry the grand marshal baton in the mid-1970’s. Murphy passed the baton to local character John Kelliher, who led the swarm into Papa Rocco’s just after McGinnes opened his restaurant in 1984.
Kelliher, The Colonel to his friends, deemed McGinnes worthy of the grand marshal’s position in 1989.
Leading the musical march from the very beginning was the late Jocko McLain, the parade’s original bagpiper. Like McGinnes, Jocko was a Scotsman. And he participated in the parade right up until he passed in 2017.
“We met and we started talking about Scotland and The Rangers and it was like we had known each other for years,’’ McGinnes said. “We were close for many years. Jock gave me my first kilt.
“He was the original,’’ McGinnes added. “He was doing it way before my boys came down and played. Jocko will always be the soul of the parade.’’
The parade usually includes about nine stops and ends around 2 p.m. at Mikee’s. Participants include snowbirds, spring breakers and lots of locals who look at the party as they would a family reunion.
“We even have grandkids of some of the originals coming out with us,’’ McGinnes said. “It’s hard to believe this started out with about 30 people.’’
Papa Rocco’s will be serving corn beef and cabbage and live music all day. Carvers in Orange Beach will also serve that dish as well as Irish Stew and Irish Bread Pudding. The Angry Crab, also in Orange Beach, will host a St. Paddy’s Crawfish Boil. Music starts at 1 p.m ta the Flora-Bama, and Big Earl will bring a special St. Patrick’s Day show to the tent stage at 5:30 p.m. Lamberts in Foley, in addition to “throwed rolls,’’ will put corn beef and cabbage on the menu March 15-18.
Pictured: Bill McGinnes with Rosemary Steele of Desoto’s, a stop on the postponed (‘til 2022) St. Paddy’s Parade.