Little Rock celebrates during St. Patrick's Day parade

Children dance during the St. Patrick's Day parade in Little Rock and North Little Rock Saturday. The Irish Cultural Society of Arkansas hosted the parade.
Children dance during the St. Patrick's Day parade in Little Rock and North Little Rock Saturday. The Irish Cultural Society of Arkansas hosted the parade.

Irish wolfhounds, bagpipe players and Irish dancers celebrated St. Patrick's Day today during a parade through Little Rock and North Little Rock.

More than 1,000 people participated in the parade on foot or with one of the 76 floats, according to Peggy Roach Loyd of the Irish Cultural Society of Arkansas.

Irish wolfhounds, bagpipe bands and Irish dancers celebrated St. Patrick's Day today during a parade through  Little Rock and North Little Rock.

St. Patrick's Day Parade 2012

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"It brings people together to celebrate cultural diversity," Loyd said. "Ireland, Scotland and the other Celtic nations are some of the countries from which early pioneers emigrated to America and to Arkansas in search of a better life. It has been quoted that 40 percent of Americans claim Irish ancestry."

Antique cars, motorcycles and clowns also followed the parade route and distributed beads and candy to onlookers.

A number of bands, ranging from Celtic punk rock to a few Scottish bagpipe bands, played for the festivities as well.

"It's the best parade in Arkansas," Phyllis Butler of the cultural society said. "If you missed it this year, come back next year, it's going to be bigger and better."

The parade has expanded in both participants and length, according to Loyd. The initial year the parade launched, 12 floats joined, and over the years, the parade route has grown from a few blocks in downtown Little Rock to more than a mile in length, crossing the Arkansas River into North Little Rock.

The parade committee nominated North Little Rock Mayor Patrick Henry Hays to serve as Grand Marshall this year.

The society, the sponsor of the 13th-annual parade, encouraged participants to bring canned food to donate to the Arkansas Rice Depot.

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