Savannah, 2023

The book “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” told the outside world about the eccentric nature of Savannah, and some of her inhabitants. Saint Patrick’s Day is when many try to demonstrate it publicly.

The parade used to be the only really public event. When my sister and I were small kids, I have a vague memory of Mom taking us to the parade and us sitting on a curb watching it. While the parade still kicks the day off (after several fraternal breakfasts), there’s already been a week of activities from issuing the parade permit, to announcing the Grand Marshal, to greening the fountains. And after the parade those capable (not too old, parenting, or already over-served) will continue with a spring break revelry until the early hours of the morning. Soon after 3 AM bar closings, downtown residents will hear the drunken arguments about who was supposed to remember where the car was parked.

It’s a long parade and it once was, just a couple of years ago, there were long stretches of the route where you could walk up just before, and have a front row seat. This year, I saw someone in one of those areas putting out chairs more than 24 hours early.

A few years ago the City had to close the squares along the parade route the evening before to keep people from camping out there, and stop arguments. Now, when they open them in the morning for people to set up their family compounds, I hear it’s like the Oklahoma land rush, but I haven’t gone to see it.

Sidewalks get plenty of tents as well, with lots of folding chairs interlocking like a Maginot curb-line facing the street, and defended like the Ukrainian front, multiple coolers with food and beverage enough for at least three days, and in at least one case, a pickup parked nearby with one’s own personal porta-potty in the bed.

For more of Bill’s photographs, go to https://www.billdurrence.com/index