St. Patrick's Day Parade

Happy St. Patrick's Day to anyone who celebrates it!
Yesterday, San Francisco celebrated St. Patrick's Day by holding the 162nd annual parade down the main thoroughfare of the city.
This group is called the Irish Pipers of San Francisco. Who doesn't like a man in a kilt?

The lady waving is the city's Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White and grand marshal of the parade. Grand marshals usually ride in cars so I was surprised she was walking through the parade route.

This is something you don't see very often. Policemen in uniform pushing baby strollers.

These are some of the city's firemen. A few of them were smoking cigars.
I wonder if that is a tradition on St. Patrick's Day.

I was not aware that the Broom or Brush Dance is an Irish tradition and I was lucky enough to have it performed in front of me.
No one is sure how this dance was started. Some say because men outnumbered women, so men had to practice their dancing skills with a broom. Others say, peddlers enticed buyers to buy their products by dancing with their brooms.

Okay, the next few photos are not so traditional Irish customs...
During a lull in the parade, a clown wanders into the crowd and asks who wants a balloon.
Look at the kids raise their hands.

When the clown turns around, he looks surprised he was the center of attention.

I was not quite sure of the Cabbage Patch Doll upside down on her head, but she was happy to pose for pictures.

A "unicorn" rolls by on wheels and a passenger hops on in front of me.

Off she goes riding into the rainbow...
- Karen