Roanoke's St. Maddie's Day Parade Through My Lens

Hey, guys, watch this! Under the leg, over the back, bounce off the ground, up to the head ...

Wouldn't be a parade without the Stars and Bars and the boys thinking they were still there.

Always did like this Old Southwest float.

Love me some Star City Roller Girls.

Come say hello to Mama Roller Girl.

This guy made this butterfly in a flask.

Civil War maidens and matrons.

My buddies Diana Christopulos and Mark McLain. Diana swears the hair's natural.

Authentic Jeb Stuart Model 1863 cell phone.

Mmmmmmmmmmm. Caaaaaaaaake.

This is one cool fire truck. Older than me.

My buddy Tim Belcher was selling flowers like crazy on City Market.

Distracted.

The question of the age: Does the color come out?

Everything gets a green light.

Lovely be-speckled lassie.

OK, Mama, where's Santa?

Yeh, I'm intense. So what?

The Kentucky Derby is when? Not today?

No, I didn't paint my legs. It's socks!

I want to see this old boy toss a caber.

The TV boys were all over the place.

Grover, I dropped my damn hat. Can you get it for me?

OK, little guy, slow down. You'll get gas and I'll get pissed.

As I shot my pal Maryellen Goodlatte, Ken Cuccinelli nearly ran over me. Maryellen's great; Cooch, not so much.

State Senator John Edwards was having a grand time.

Yes, it's natural. So's the nose ring.

Roanoke's, uh, finest.

Yes, I wear fuzzy purple hats on occasion. And I wear pink taffeta on other occasions. (Tommy Lee Jones lookalike.)

Smile for the handsome photographer, honey and ignore the hand.

No, dangit, I'm not a Girl Scout, but my sister is.

A real Dalmation sticks his head out of the fire truck.

OK, no special reason for the photo; just a great face. Great face.

Think my smile's great now, wait'll I lose the braces!

Yet another smile for the ages.

Yes, Mom, I rode a commode in the parade.

The "pot" of gold at rainbow's end.

Lady Liberty, yes. And you are ...

Pearlie Mae Fu, the queen of Roanoke and all its parades.

Peek-a-boo. I see you.

Aging ingenue with a still-lovely smile.

Yes, I am the daughter of a doll and don't you forget it!

Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! More potato chips!

Hand down the fiddle and rosin up the bow.

Yes, I love tubas ...

... because they're such good mirrors.

Hey girls look! A CUTE boy! Over there. With the camera.

After the rock goes through the window, everybody duck and hide.

My god! He's as handsome as the photographer. Lordy, lordy.

The little drummer girl.

Yes, my deah. I'm with the ballay. Prima Donna, if you please.

The hat? Oh, the wind caught it. Won't bend back down. Dang.

This is one big, robust dude on his tiny Harley Hog.

My pal Bob Grebe, TV guy.

Had a good chat with this pretty gal and her lovely sock monkey. They're inseparable.

The Bolivian dancers nearly stole the show.

OK, so a little makeup smeared. I'm still cool.

My pal Annette Patterson and her cute-as-buttons daughter.

One Harley, one hairstyle.

This one looks almost too real. Little brother vs. big brother.

Hey, Mom, can we go home yet? I'm getting a little sleepy.

No, it's not a Superman hat. It's a family crest.

There were more than 100 marching, floating, dancing, rolling, strolling, bouncing, roaring entries in this year's St. Maddie's Day Parade in downtown Roanoke (formerly known as the St. Patrick's Day Parade, before my grandgirl was born on St. Paddy's Day eight years ago; Maddie insists this parade is hers).

The crowd along the mile and a half path must have numbered about 20,000 because about 2,000 of them tried to crowd into the City Market Building for lunch afterwards and my gang was fighting for food in the middle of it all.

This is Roanoke's best parade, maybe Roanoke's best event (though Local Colors rings in there close) and it gets bigger, more festive and cooler every year. I love photographing it in my family crest hat.

(All photos by me, except the one of me, which was taken by Leah Weiss.)