Parade turns city green for a day

Saturday, March 17, 2007 11:38 PM CDT

Parade turns city green for a day

By Paul Sloth

Journal Times

RACINE - Racine's St. Patrick's Day Parade had only just started Saturday afternoon and Jan Knecht, already wearing a smart pair of green cardboard shamrock glasses, completed her ensemble with a green-and-white feather boa she purchased from a cart stationed at the corner of Fourth and Main streets.

Knecht of Racine joined five of her friends, parked a little farther north on Main Street, for the city's first St. Patrick's Day parade in a long time.

"This is a great thing," said Knecht, who isn't Irish but wishes she were.

People filled both sides of the sun-soaked street Saturday, and despite a slight chill from the lake breeze, everybody seemed happy to have another parade in town.

Carole Wilson-Frens of Racine isn't Irish either. The same goes for her friend Lynne DeFrang of Kenosha, but they made up for a lack of Irish heritage by donning as much green clothing as they could.

"We want to show our support," DeFrang said.

As parades go, it was a relatively quick one, roughly 45 minutes from the start, at State and Main streets, to the finish at City Hall.

The parade, sticking to a simple route, down Main Street to Sixth Street, had everything from Milwaukee's Trinity Academy of Irish Dance - which includes members from the Racine area - to bagpipers and people walking their Irish wolfhounds.

Collin Gonzales, Cory Cage and Serena Sretenovich, all 16, stood, proudly wearing whatever green they could find, waiting to cheer for their Horlick High School classmates, who had a float in the parade.

All attested to having some Irish heritage. Cage and Gonzales both wore what had to be the smallest St. Paddy's Day hats available. Other parade-goers opted for the large, green, sequined "Cat in the Hat" style.

Bob Wiesner couldn't think of a better time for Racine to revive its St. Patrick's Day tradition, one that seemed shrouded in historical mist. A banker from Racine, Wiesner had on a bright green jacket worn by all the members of the newly formed Sons of Erin. The group, a fraternal organization that is a little more than a year old, marched in Saturday's parade.

"(We're trying) to promote Irish heritage (in Racine) and philanthropic work in the community," said Wiesner, who is Irish on his mother's side. "We all enjoy and embrace our heritage. Hopefully, it's going to take off."

What parade would be complete without someone wheeling a cart, full of holiday-themed trinkets, up and down the route?

Randy Finch of Milwaukee had four carts from his company, RJ Finch Enterprises, selling St. Patrick's Day stuff.

Saturday's biggest seller? The green-and-white feather boa. Finch sold out in 20 minutes.

Finch, who's been in the business 30 years, said his carts filled with trinkets help people get in the spirit, which is why, in the midst of a parade, they'll pay for an inflatable leprechaun or shamrock beads.

"Sometimes, it's just to keep the kids quiet, other times it's just the festivities," Finch said. "Everybody's Irish on St. Paddy's Day."

Amidst all the green hats and shirts, the green inflatable dolphins and leprechauns, Elijah Vass' green hair acted like a beacon to any passers-by.

For Jim Vass and his family, St. Patrick's Day is a chance to celebrate his wife's Irish ancestry. Marion Dow-Vass has passed down to her children, Elijah, 7, and Anneliese, 5, a pride in their heritage so strong the entire family dyed their hair green, not considered a typical hair color, even for people who are really Irish.

The Vass family, excited to celebrate the day a little closer to their Caledonia home this year, was hard to miss sitting and cheering on the east side of Main Street, not far from the Racine Art Museum.

Jim Vass knows how important the holiday is to his wife.

"I can miss our anniversary, her birthday, even Valentine's Day," Vass said. "But, with her heritage, I better not miss St. Patrick's Day."

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