THE HOUSE PARTIES
It was a crazy time in the early 2000s, with parties in their front yard, a DJ and an at-home bar, Cecille Newberry says. Her brother and her had house parties with 200 people celebrating since 2001.
For many neighbors like Newberry, it’s their favorite holiday, not just because of the parties but because it’s the one day of the year everyone is connected.
“I’ve been hanging out here for 22 years, you have your old friends and the neighborhood bars, they’re always going to show up, so you know that day once a year you’re gonna see everyone and everyone’s in a good mood and everyone’s happy,” Newberry says.
It’s Dallas’ Mardi Gras, although it’s gotten more tamed over the years, it’s still crazy and everyone is having fun, Newberry adds.
THE MEET CUTES
In 2002 Kelli Culpepper, a Woodrow Wilson High School alumna, and her former college roommate and best friend from J.L. Long attended the block party and spent their entire day at the Dubliner.
While enjoying their time, they looked over and saw a man who her friend believed would be a perfect match for Culpepper.
Culpepper and the man talked and exchanged numbers before heading separate ways, unfortunately, she gave him her office number at the gynecologist clinic, and he was hesitant to call asking for a date. A few days later she gave him a call and a formal date was set in the books. A year later on March 17, 2003 the two got married.
Although the couple could celebrate their wedding anniversary, they choose to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at the Dubliner instead.
“It literally is more important to us than our wedding day. Because it’s the day we met and it’s Greenville, and it’s that party, and the Dubliner is still there, and so every year if we are here we go to the Dubliner on St. Patrick’s Day,” she says.
John Haney met his wife on what he calls “the odd March 19” 2016 block party.
Suzy Angiel met her husband of 34 years bungee jumping on GV St. Paddy’s parade with the Campisi clan.
THE COUCH SURFER
When Tracy Copland lived on Lower Greenville, she would watch the parade alongside her neighbors from their apartment’s courtyard, where they hosted barbecues. One year after a long day of partying, a man wandered into their unlocked apartment and fell asleep on her friend Mike’s couch.
The next day, Mike woke up for work like any normal day. On his way out he saw the stranger knocked out in his living room. He asked the guy why he was there and politely asked him to leave.
On his way to work, he called a radio station to share his story. The guy on the couch phoned the radio to confess it was him.
“Strangers become friends,” Copland says.
THE ENTREPRENEUR
In 1972, the same year of the inaugural St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Richard Orozco purchased a home for himself and his wife in Lower Greenville. Since then, the Orozco family has witnessed the celebration evolve over time.
“It just got bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger,” says Michael Orozco, Richard’s son.
Since the inception of the parade, the Orozcos have upheld their family tradition of hosting brisket taco cookouts and gatherings to watch the parade outside their house. This tradition was initiated by Michael’s mother, who died two years ago.
As the parade continued to grow, Michael seized an opportunity to make extra cash. He began renting a porta potty, and on a good year, he makes around $400 by charging parade-goers to use the restroom.
The parade is bound to grow, and so will the Orozco’s family tradition. Neither the parade nor their family cookout is going anywhere, the father and son affirm. It’s a cherished family tradition that will be passed down to future generations of East Dallas within their family.
THE IDES OF MARCH
Teri Ervin says she has been attending the parade since its inception. Living off of Greenville and Ross during college and beyond, from ’79 to ’86, she says “those were the party days.” Now, she still never misses the event as it’s the first harbinger of spring.
THE FUR BABIES
The parade is for everyone, even for our fur friends.
Rachael Jacob moved to Dallas when she was around 19 and has been attending the parade for years.
Living near River Pig Saloon, Jacob says it gets wild but she loves the chaos that comes with the parade. Although she may not have a favorite memory, as a dog trainer she enjoys taking her dogs with her to the parade to people watch with neighbors.
Jacob encourages pet parents to bring their animals to the parade as long as they’re on a leash and can handle the loudness of the event.
If it’s your dog’s first time attending the parade, bring treats to reward your pet for good behavior and try to not stay too long as it might overstimulate your pets.
THE BABY
In the Spring of 1998, Teresa Wyatt Vanderenden experienced her first St. Patrick’s Day event, and for the past 25 years, She has attended every parade. However, there was one year she missed the parade — the day she gave birth to her daughter.
“I lived 25 years just off Greenville Ave. in Vickery Place. When our St.Patrick’s Day baby was born we couldn’t wait to tell her that the parade was for her birthday. It’s one of the really cool parts of living in Lower Greenville,” Vanderenden says.
When her daughter turned 13, she and her husband made the decision to bring her to the parade and celebrate her birthday there. Now, it has become a treasured tradition to celebrate her birthday at the parade surrounded by family and friends.
The family teases that the parade was practically created in honor of their daughter’s birthday.
Vanderenden and her daughter love the parade and celebrating it together as a family.
“The vibe is just so fun. It’s just electric, you can just feel it in the air, people are happy and excited and ready to have a good time and meet up with friends,” Vanderenden says. “It’s a time to be together, making new friends and just kind of a really fun atmosphere.”
THE TIPS
Parade Chairman Kevin Vela has a list of do’s and don’ts whether you’re new or returning to the parade this year.
Vela says do: ride share such as Uber, Lyft and Dart and arrive extra early to account for traffic. You can get dropped off at Mockingbird Station or at Lovers Lane and be in a great spot to watch the parade.
And, Vela says don’t be irresponsible by littering or being a bad neighbor to those who live on the block.
“Be respectful to the people around you, being orderly on your way out,” Vela says. “It’s an amazing day and we’ve been running it for a long time without any real incident, we’d like to keep it that way.”
THE FRIENDSHIPS
Kim Lanphere has been attending the parade for over a decade. She says the event is the one time you run into old friends and make new ones.
“I run into a lot of people that I haven’t seen in like 10 years,” Lanphere says. “If you lived in Dallas for any amount of time you can run into people that you know. All sorts of people show up that you haven’t seen since high school.”
It’s also a great opportunity to “investigate the area” and try new bars and restaurants that you normally don’t get the chance to try, she adds.
Lanphere says it’s a lot more fun to walk around rather than staying in one place the whole time. This is the perfect opportunity to walk around, meet new people and try new bars.
“Check out the bars along the way because sometimes you don’t go to every single bar but at this time you can walk to bars you never would have looked at before and check them all out,” Lanphere says.
