Bagpipers, step dancers and green-clad Irish celebrants of all sorts marched the streets Sunday in Baltimore's 60th St. Patrick's Day Parade.
Children and adults lined the Charles Street sidewalks from the Washington Monument in Mount Vernon down to the Inner Harbor to witness the spectacle of floats, brass and string bands, dance companies and even Clydesdales.
Mackenzie Dean, 10, of Lutherville, spent Sunday step dancing with her classmates at the Kevin Broesler School of Irish Dance. She estimated that they had done their routine about 15 or 20 times along the parade's route.
"It was fun," she said, before conceding a bit, "and tiring."
Dominick Murray, the parade's emcee, described the event as a chance to celebrate Baltimore's status as the second-biggest point of entry of Irish immigrants to the United States.
No one was more excited than Kristal Preston, 45, of North Baltimore, who could barely stand still and rarely remained on the sidewalk for more than a moment.
"How y'all doing?" she yelled to each group of marchers, be they jubilant, shouting Girl Scouts or silently waving Ancient Order of Hibernians members.
Preston grinned widely and snapped photographs as she marched in place to the tune of each band as they passed her at Light and Pratt streets.
She said she'd been cheering all day, since the beginning of the parade. What was her favorite part — the blaring bagpipes? The elaborate costumes? "Just the people in it," she said. "I like to speak to the people."
To illustrate her point, Preston broke off the conversation to greet another group.