Residential real estate in Raleigh, N.C.
When SPARKcon takes over the streets of Downtown Raleigh, the atmosphere is charged with infectious energy and enthusiasm for all types of creative SPARKS. Street painting, circus performances, fashion, dance, visual art, food, theater, thought-provoking exhibits, music…SPARKcon has it all. Free and fun for the whole family, plus always even a few bridal parties in the street, what more can you ask for out of a weekend?
I have to confess that Raleigh’s St. Patrick’s Day parade is always my favorite parade of the year. Â I love the wacky combination of entrants in the parade. Â It’s exciting when you really can’t predict what category may be coming around the corner next. Â Of course there are Irish dancers, Scouts, beauty queens of all ages, bagpipes, candy being tossed, and green everywhere you look…including on the legs of horses! Â See:
So along with your standard, expected entries in the annual parade celebrating the Irish through Downtown Raleigh, you’ll also find many unexpected, not so standard entries. The primary qualification for parade entry may possibly be just adding some green somewhere or simply sporting a shamrock.  That seems to be how there were groups in the parade showcasing what seemed to be every known breed of dog, the N.C. State rodeo club, The Little German Band with a touch of green added to their outfits, The Dancing Queens in green spandex, a few monster! costumes, and even a group encouraging people to “wear” their babies.  But one of the most bizarre sights at today’s parade had to be the real policemen behaving like the  Keystone Cops! What??
This year’s parade was awesome. Entertaining, unpredictable, wacky, and fun!
In spite of what the thermometer reads, hundreds of people running through the streets of Downtown Raleigh wearing  kilts, costumes,  and decked out in every shade of green means spring must be right around the corner.  The St. Paddy’s Run Green 8K is one of my favorite races each year.  I love the clever costumes, I love how happy everyone appears to be as they run down the street, I love the sound made by the pounding of so many feet, and I love the extra-special treat of being able to watch and cheer on the runners from my own front porch.
The costumes this year seemed a bit more bland than in years past, maybe because the day was chilly and windy. Â Besides an almost-but-not-quite-world-record number of kilts, there were plenty of tutus, wigs, and face paint. Â My favorites included an outfit with a pair of kneesocks that had “BEER” in large letters going down the calf, a very big man not wearing a shirt but carrying a giant sword, and a guy running in work boots. Â Ouch!
Here’s a short sampling:
While the North Carolina Governor’s Mansion is a beautiful place every day of the year, it is spectacular when it’s dressed up for the holidays and full of visitors with live music performed by school groups from across the region. There’s always a Christmas tree decorated with artwork made by children of active-duty servicemen and servicewomen and another tree adorned with decorations important to our state such as cotton, cardinals, seashells, pine cones, dogwood flowers, and tobacco leaves. The mansion docents add so much extra detail, and the doormen give the experience an extra-special touch.
