Cleveland's 2009 St. Patrick's Day parade: What you need to know

CLEVELAND -- The long-range forecast for Cleveland isn't white snow for March 17th, it's the wearin' o the green! Whether you're Irish or wish you were, here's the lowdown on the 142nd annual St. Patrick's Day parade.

The 2009 Cleveland St. Patrick's Day parade steps off at 1:04 p.m. Tuesday March 17 at the corner of East 18th Street and Superior Avenue in downtown Cleveland.

This is a new route for the 2009 parade.

It will proceed west on Superior Avenue, all the way to the eastern end of Public Square, where it will turn north, then turn east onto Rockwell Avenue, where it will end.

Road closings/parking bans

The 2009 honorees are Grand Marshal Tom Reynolds and Irish "Mother of the Year" Shirley Chambers. Read about them & past honorees 

Want to find the best place to stand? Parade route

Want to know where in the parade your favorite unit will show up? Click here.

For Metromix Cleveland's St. Patrick's Day guide, click here.

Parade History: The first parade in Cleveland took place on March 17, 1867, when a group of Irish marched from church to church with family members looking on.

As the years progressed, the parade enlarged, as did the audience and, by the turn of the century and shortly thereafter, the Hibernian Riflemen and the Irish Tradesmen were an integral part of the planning and carrying out of the St. Patrick's Day parade.

On March 17, 1910, state Sen. Dan Mooney introduced a bill which recognized St. Patrick's Day in Ohio. In 1912, who could help but take notice, as crowds estimated at 100,000, from as far away as Chicago and New York, came to Cleveland to watch the parade.

The war and depression affected the parade -- too many men off to war, women working in factories, poverty and hard times -- so from 1913 to 1935, there was no downtown parade. Instead, there was a smaller version of it on the West Side of Cleveland, from either a hotel or church to some prearranged destination.

From 1935 to date, the parade has been run by a committee known as The United Irish Societies, made up of members from more than two dozen Irish or Irish-related groups.

Since 1935, as part of the ceremony for the Cleveland parade, a Grand Marshal has been chosen every year. From 1935 to 2000, this honorary title was given to a man, "usually in his senior years, who has contributed significantly to the advancement of the Irish Activities in Cleveland," according to the committee.

In the fall of 2000, the UIS delegates chose the first woman to be Grand Marshal of its 2001 parade -- Lonnie McCauley. Sadly, McCauley was not able to march in the parade, as she was "called home to God" on March 18, 2001.

Since 1963, a "Mother of the Year" has also been recognized, honoring a woman "whose life has reflected credit on the Irish nationality and whose example has been a source of inspiration to the community," the committee said.

Cleveland's parade is one of many, with the original parade occuring in Manhattan on March 17, 1762.

That "parade" was merely the Irish militiamen on their was to a St. Patrick's Day breakfast in Hull's Tavern, playing their band music and marching as enthusiastic crowds surrounded them.