PAX Centurion - January / March 2016

Page 48 • PAX CENTURION • January/March 2016 617-989-BPPA (2772) F or me, the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Southie was always a small notch above Christmas Day. When I was young the parade was at the end of a weeklong Celebration of Evacuation Day. There was a sense of excitement leading up to that week. There were events scheduled each day. For the boys there were boxing matches at McDonough gym and hockey skill events at the Murphy Rink, where the best young players (and there were a ton of them). Everyone showed off their best shots, stick handling and skating. For the girls there were Irish Step Competitions and Miss South Boston contests as well as the very popular “Ice-O-Rama” down at the rink. I know I’m forgetting other popular events, but the weeklong celebration ended on Sunday with the annual Breakfast hosted by Senator William “Billy” Bulger inside the tiny space at the Bayside Club. The small event was not to be missed if you were part of the political scene. It was an honor to get invited.You better have had a thick skin as the political gloves came off, although it was all in good fun. Congressmen, Senators, City Councilors, even Presidents called in via telephone. The event was always televised on local television, and it was always playing loudly in the background at my house in the morning, and after each politician took the microphone, my father would rip them to pieces in his own Irish way. The historic parade that the AlliedWar Veterans put together every year was extraordinary. It was South Boston’s day to shine, way before the bright lights of Hollywood turned Southie into a punchline. Almost every family, whether you were on the parade route or not, had an open house. During my time growing up in South Boston I lived in four locations. Bookending them was G and 6th St. and Fourth Street. What was special about them was that both houses were on the parade route. I have many fond memories of my young days running around the streets with my friends trying to catch up to the parade. In my teen years we would hide beers in someone’s backyard the night before and then head out behind the library on Broadway and responsibly have one or two (sorry, I know my mom is still judging me). But with everything, things change. Slowly the events that were held the week of the parade were phased out. Maybe because we were older and there weren’t that many kids interested or simply there was not enough money to sponsor the event, who knows.   The morning breakfast also went through some changes. Gone was Senator Bulger with his quick wit and powerful guests. Steve Lynch took the stick and held the position admirably. Unfortunately, in my opinion the breakfast came to a screeching halt when Representative Jack Hart took over the breakfast and looked about as confident with a microphone telling jokes as I do with a hairbrush.  Then starting in the late 80’s into the early 90’s the parade became a punching bag for political movements and protests. I believe my thoughts on the parade began to change around that time as well. The parade organizers and residents in the neighborhood were once again under attack and were being accused of insensitivity and bigotry. As teenagers, we didn’t really fully understand all that was being said, but we found ourselves defending what was once a special event that we all looked forward to every year. I think the defining change came for my mother as well when one year I stood on the parade route with her when a group that had fought for their “right” to be a part of the parade came by our location. I still remember it very well, the sight of a grown man dressed as a baby wearing a diaper and nothing else throwing condoms into the crowd. There have been many stories written about that time in the early days of the court cases, but that’s just my lasting memory.   Was the parade always the good ship lollipop? Everyone getting along happily? Of course not. There were always fights; sometimes large fights.Young kids, “old” kids, had drunken battles during the parade and late into the evening.  But from those years on, the parade was always clouded in controversy. Instead of events and festivals leading up to the parade, there were City Council meetings and court cases. It didn’t matter what your opinion was. It was not a fun week leading up to the parade because there was always tension. In time, the court cases went away and the controversy slightly dissipated. After one year when the parade was completely canceled things began to quiet down. The parade was held again and it grew stronger. Although, the last 10 years or so, the parade has turned into what I can only describe as amateur hour. The demographic of the neighborhood has changed. I was never one to bitch and whine and complain about the “yuppies” invading South Boston. They were young couples, sometimes families that wanted to start their lives in a safe neighborhood. I can get over the dog parks that sprung up, coffee shop lines, Becky’s and Bros and skinny jeans. Change happens. All neighborhoods change, some even disappear. Just ask the last of the “West End” residents about their forgotten piece of the city. The change I’m talking about is the “spring break” mentality that the parade has turned into. 10 hours on a Sunday in March where mostly college-age guys and girls (mostly girls) walking around the parade route looking like the St. Patrick’s costume aisle at I-Party threw up on them, and throw up they did. Did me and my friends drink and run around and act like fools on parade day? Of course we did. But there was a neighborhood unwritten morality, where if you did act up somebody’s older brother or cousin would quickly identify you and A cop’s memories of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade By P.O. Danny O’Donnell, D-4