At Ventura’s Parade, Irish Is as Irish Does

Whether you are a Lopez or a Loupassi, a Kwan or a Kaminski, if you were in Ventura on Saturday, you were Irish.

Thousands of people lined downtown Ventura’s Main Street on Saturday morning for the city’s 11th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival, an eclectic procession of Irish dancers, horses, classic cars and marching bands held four days before the holiday that honors Ireland’s patron saint.

“It’s a good day for the Irish and a good day for those who wish they were Irish,” parade announcer Bob Pollioni told the crowd. For Saturday, he was going by O’Pollioni.

The theme of this year’s parade, “Celebrate Your Heritage,” was a hurrah for hybrids. Irish Americans invited their African American, Asian American and Mexican American brothers and sisters, and anyone else in this nation of immigrants, to celebrate the day that means goodwill and pride for some, overindulging for others.

“The Irish--they have the leprechauns, they have the little fairies, the stories, they have a long heritage,” said B.J. Clark of Glendale, who was visiting Ventura, her former home, for the weekend.

“We all have the Irish spirit,” Emily Marquez said.

“We’ve been praying for Notre Dame since I went to grade school,” chimed in Rosemarie Garcia, who works at the San Buenaventura Mission.

The mission’s Msgr. Patrick O’Brien served as the parade’s grand marshal, surveying the route from a horse-drawn carriage. Marquez noticed that O’Brien’s purple and black robe seemed out of place.

“Monsignor, what happened to the green?” she shouted from the sidewalk.

Having O’Brien lead the parade was a reminder that there is some religious significance to St. Patrick’s Day, although some who were celebrating couldn’t put their finger on what that significance was.

“What’d he do? Lead the mice out of England to get rid of the potato blight?” said Richard Spencer, whose roots are Japanese.

“Supposedly he was a guy who chased all the snakes out of Ireland, that’s all I know,” said Sinead Weafer, 10, who was among a group of young dancers performing with the Claddagh Dance Company.

Fellow dancer Cecelia Lemmon filled in more of the puzzle.

“He converted all the pagans into Roman Catholics,” the Santa Paula 10-year-old said, with some exaggeration. “He made many miracles and converted all the Irish.”

Born in England or Scotland around AD 373, Maewyn Succat became Father Patrick and spent decades converting the pagans of Ireland. Legend has it that he once gave a sermon that drove all snakes from the Emerald Isle. Legend also has it that the island never had any snakes to begin with.

In its more secular form, the holiday, which recognizes the saint’s death on March 17, 461, is a day for shamrocks and silliness.

To celebrate, Ellen Chia of Oxnard used green food coloring to dye the curly white coat of her Maltese dog, Spot. And on the unofficial national holiday for redheads, Pandora Wike confided that she gets a little help from dyes, to preserve her long hair’s color.

“I’ve got some white coming in,” she said.

Ventura stays green today with more activities and entertainment at Mission Park. Traditional Irish singing and dancing run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.