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St. Patrick’s Day parades aren’t typically a big deal in Luverne, but this year it was different.
A first-ever marching band of Edgerton students led the procession of green-colored parade entries, and crowds lined the parade route in numbers not seen at a Luverne St. Patrick’s Day Parade in decades.
More than anything, the celebration was festive, like a normal community celebration, something not experienced since before the pandemic canceled gatherings over a year ago.
“The last parade in Rock County was for the Band Festival in 2019 so we have had a long dry spell,” said Luverne Area Chamber Director Jane Wildung Lanphere.
To entice more parade entrants, the Chamber offered a gold dollar coin to each participant at the end of the parade route.
“Like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow,” Lanphere said.
The event attracted out-of-town entrants and spectators who said they were seeking St. Patrick’s Day celebrations and couldn’t find them in Sioux Falls or other area towns.
“We came here from Valley Springs, because South Dakota didn’t have anything,” said Ardell Johnson, who wore a flashy green outfit with her similarly dressed daughter, Kasey Johnson, to enjoy Luverne’s parade.