[StBernard] St. Bernard's Irish Italian Islenos parade set for April 1

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard's Irish Italian Islenos parade set for April 1

Published: Thursday, March 08, 2012, 7:30 AM     Updated: Thursday, March
08, 2012, 9:06 AM

 By Becca Chapman 

Now that the 2012 Carnival season has come to close, St. Bernardians are
grabbing their red, green and white T-shirts and big metal pots in
preparation for the 11th annual Irish Italian Islenos Parade.

But why watch the parade when you can be in it? Let's face it, if you're a
St. Bernard native you probably share at least one of the three heritages,
so join in.

Organizers for this year's parade, set for April 1 at 11 a.m., are in search
of enthusiastic riders, marching groups, and, of course, parade princesses.

Parade President Chad O'Neil has ridden every year since the parade's
beginning and continues to enjoy it.

"It's everything a normal parade is, but when you can toss 40 different
kinds of fruits and veggies it makes it more special," he said.

Besides just a great time, O'Neil sees the community value of the parade.

"The big thing about this parade is people come from everywhere," he said.
"We get calls from Dallas, Memphis and this year Sedona, Arizona, asking the
date so they can take time off to come down and party with us. As for the
locals, they line the neutral ground and barbecue or boil seafood all day.
It is a wonderful community event."

If you are interested in marching or riding in the parade, contact O'Neil at
504.655.7555 or iiiparade at cox.net. Prices for riding vary with float size,
and the only requirement is that you be at least 5 years old to ride.

Girls ages 12 to 18 can sign up to be an Irish Italian Islenos parade
princess. The fee is $125, and includes recognition at a special dinner
event, crown, flowers, recognition at the Islenos Fiesta and the Louisiana
Crawfish Festival, and insurance coverage.

For more information about riding as a princess, contact Mary O'Neil at
504.279.1239 or mary_oneil at bellsouth.net.

According to O'Neil, last year about 30 marching groups and 1,600 riders
participated in the parade. So mark your calendars and plan to march to the
music, throw beads and vegetables to unsuspecting crowd members, and be a
part of our culture.

 Becca Chapman lives in Chalmette and writes about people and events in
Chalmette. She can be reached at chalmettematters at gmail.com or 504.481.6516.

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