Minutes before the unmistakable moan of bagpipes signaled the start of the annual Paddy Hough Parade, the excitement radiating from the Hough Elementary School students waiting in the wings reached a fever pitch.
Clad in festive green attire, thematic costumes and holding handmade signs, the kids were powder kegs of anticipation: waving arms, shuffling feet, bright eyes.
As the Vancouver Firefighters Pipes and Drums group let it blast, so did the students, shouting in excitement as they eagerly merged, classroom by classroom, with the 22nd annual parade’s procession Friday afternoon.
It might have been workday business-as-usual in the surrounding neighborhoods, but for a few hours, the Uptown Village area of Vancouver was in a celebratory shutdown — patrons of local shops smiled through windows while hundreds filled the sidewalks of Main Street armed with cameras and lawn chairs. One woman even perched on the curb with two parakeets to watch the parade stroll by, led by Hough Elementary Principal and parade Grand Marshal Eva Unger.