Fargo, N.D. (KFGO) – Despite a rocky start and recent bad weather, the 23rd annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in downtown Fargo went off without a hitch.
Back in January, it was announced that the parade committee was calling off the parade due to a lack of financial support and not enough volunteers.
But two weeks later and just little over a month until St. Patrick’s Day, due to an outcry from parade goers, it was announced the parade was back on – with some changes. Fargo Mayor Tim Mahoney announced that the city partnered with the Downtown Community Partnership and former parade organizers to continue the tradition.
The 2019 parade was expanded to include Moorhead on the route and the start time was moved to 11 a.m. to become more family friendly and set it apart from the downtown pub crawl.
“They [Moorhead] are a good partner and anytime we can combine two cities and make it one grand event, to strengthen both communities, what a great opportunity,” Rademacher said.
Jefferson Bus Lines, which is moving its depot back to downtown Fargo, is the presenting sponsor.
“We could not be holding this parade without the support of Jefferson Bus Lines,” CEO and President of the Downtown Community Partnership, Melissa Rademacher, said. “They are incredible and they are going to be a huge asset for downtown.”
Sixty different businesses and organizations signed up to have a float in this year’s parade. Last year’s parade attendance was around 3,000. Organizers are hoping to hit the 10,000 mark this year.
“This year it is just fantastic to see everyone show up and lend a helping hand,” Rademacher said. “It was six weeks [before the day of the parade] that we were basically appointed to put this on. So, it’s incredible to see the community come together and help each other out and make it happen. So, we hope to continue the tradition year after year.”
