The people at South Boston Online wish you a very Happy St. Patrick’s Day and a joyful, meaningful Evacuation Day observance.  We are celebrating the first major colonial victory against the British Army, which was the strongest military force in the world in 1776.  And we are celebrating the Irish people, their worldwide diaspora, and their successful struggle for acceptance wherever they migrated.

     It is time for one of Boston’s greatest spectacles – the St. Patrick’s Day/Evacuation Day Parade.  The Parade rivals First Night, Chinese New Year, the Fourth of July, and the Red Sox/Patriots championship rallies.  It’s a grand event, it is indeed!

     Nevertheless, as with any other occasion that draws huge crowds, there are precautions to be taken and rules to be followed.  We’ll list a few:

     Have you noticed that many spectators stand on the roofs of three-deckers?  Owners/landlords of these buildings are responsible if someone falls off a roof.  Nail down the roof hatches this Sunday.  If you rent an apartment and invite guests over for drinks during the Parade, you are equally responsible for their behavior.  Keep your guests off the roof.  If nothing else, just think of what might happen to people on the sidewalk below if a fall occurs.

     There will be two alcohol-free “Family Zones” where you can view the Parade with your children – the sidewalks in front of the Action Center (424 West Broadway) and Laboure (275 West Broadway).  They will offer light refreshments, free face painting, and limited availability of rest facilities for Family Zone registrants.  If you don’t choose to use these Family Zones, please respect them.  They are places where parents and children can watch the Parade without being disturbed.

     Please remember that public drinking is against the law at any time of the year.  That, by the way, is true in almost every city in America.  Keep it inside – that’s the law.  And if you bring a cooler of drinks with you from outside South Boston, it will be confiscated (cooler and all).  The police will be out in force.  They will not allow any public drinking of any kind (even from those silly plastic cups).

     Also, remember that underage drinking is illegal, no matter what the occasion.  Unfortunately, in the past, many young people who were clearly under 21have disgraced themselves. Please don’t serve young people – they can’t handle alcoholic beverages.

     Finally, do not, under any circumstances (!), give alcohol to those who are marching in the Parade.  This became a serious problem among those who marched in the 2002 Parade, supposedly to honor their comrades who fell on 9/11.  In fact, drunken marchers disgraced the memories of their fallen comrades that year, and the problem continued in 2003 and 2004.

     We understand that many of the problems along the Parade route are caused by people from outside South Boston.  The population here is 30,000; the Parade attracts upwards of 750,000 – 25 times as many.  All that we ask is that Southie residents (and their guests) set a good example for the rest of the world.  We want to take our Parade back from those who abuse South Boston’s greatest event.

     The staff at South Boston Online will close by repeating our best wishes for a fantastic weekend and a memorable Parade.  Hey, all of us are from South Boston – we live here.  We think you deserve an enjoyable, first-class Parade this Sunday.