The legions of bands, dancers and other organizations participating in Cleveland’s St. Patrick’s Day parade got an extra week to prepare in 1959.
Around noon — right as the celebratory Mass at St. John’s Cathedral was finishing and American and Irish flags were being raised in Public Square — a blizzard blew in, ultimately dumping four inches of snow in the area. Wind gusts were reported between 50 and 60 mph, limiting visibility to the point where Cleveland police had to shut down the Shoreway for an hour.
Shortly before the scheduled start from Chester Avenue and East 13th Street at 2 p.m., organizers postponed the parade until the next Sunday, saying it was impossible to march in the current conditions.
The delay in the parade also allowed additional groups to join. The parade was led off by the Akron St. Vincent High School band (the merger with St. Mary would come 13 years later), which had marched in the New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade the previous week.
Also among the participants was a relatively new band, but one that had already proven its excellence. The Shamrock Pipe Band was founded in 1951, and it had won the All-American Pipe Band Award in 1957 at Iona College. The Shamrock Pipe Band still had its annual St. Patrick’s Dance the week before and would host another the night of the parade.
Also present were local politicians, John Carroll University’s band and a new Nike Hercules missile, which would replace the Ajax missile in local military installations.
A total of 75,000 people were estimated to watch the parade, which proceeded quickly due to cold temperatures. The Plain Dealer said it was about 24 degrees that day, but the sun shone, making it a little more tolerable.
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