Hours after spring arrived Sunday, pipes and drums and a sea of green flanked Delaware Avenue from Niagara Square in downtown Buffalo. Cancelled due to COVID-19 the past two years, the St. Patrick's Parade was back.
While the parade crowd seemed a little smaller than some other years, thousands came out to celebrate being out after the long lockdown.
For Grand Marshall Patrick McGuinness, it was a long wait. He was set to be the grand marshal in 2020 and then 2021, and now had his chance to march up Delaware with his relatives.
"How important? It's super-important," he said. "I think it's a great day. Let's hope it turns out to be a great day and everything's great. It's a great day for the Irish. It's a great day for Irish culture. Let's do this."
Doing it was the South Park High School band, the Emerald Society and all of the rest of the traditional groups of musicians with some traditional Irish music, along with arrays of step dancers, Irish setters and even animals from the City Pound looking for a forever home were all there, along with the Daughters of Erin and a lot of traditional Catholic groups.
Among them was Buffalo Catholic Bishop Michael Fisher, with his Irish roots.
"St. Patrick. Everybody sort of claims St. Patrick, don't they? So it's always a celebration for the whole city, the whole nation," Fisher said.
St. Patrick was certainly there, on a variety of floats and even walking the length of the parade route. There were also lots of sirens, with the Buffalo Fire Department providing a fire truck, a marching group and a pipe and drum band. Suburban fire departments were there too, with their loud sirens.
Molly Fogarty may have had an Irish grandpa, but she was there to be outside.
"Without a doubt. Without a doubt," she said. "People are so excited to be out here. I mean it's cold out, but no one cares. It's like just get a chance to be outside and do something together."
They waved, they cheered. George Kunz watched in a comfortable lawn chair.
"I think it's a complete symbol of normality," he said. "I haven't seen any masks yet and I don't think I'm going to. And the crowds are great and the sun came out. It just feels like it did three years ago. I'm sitting here with my teenager. He's about 25% older and that's the only thing that's different."
Even Gov. Kathy Courtney Hochul said she was glad to be there.
"I really try to be here as governor, as we celebrate the comeback of this great city and this great region and the comeback of this parade after two years of isolation, not being able to celebrate with everyone the way we know how to do so in Buffalo, New York," Hochul said. "Top of the morning to you. It's a beautiful day."
