Tony Overman/The Olympian
Jim McDermott and Capital Lakefair organizers bring Irish cheer to downtown Olympia during the St. Patrick's Day parade Saturday.

St. Pat's parade small, lively

Organizers say turnout twice that of last year

RUTH LONGORIA THE OLYMPIAN

OLYMPIA -- As any leprechaun can tell you, big isn't necessarily better.

That adage also applies to parades.

Saturday's second annual St. Patrick's Day Parade, though not the largest parade in Olympia's history, might be remembered as one of the most romantic.

As the parade princesses' car was about to pass Sylvester Park, the parade halted to allow Glenn Larson, 33, to run out to the car and drop to one knee.

"That was the most romantic thing I've ever seen in my life," said South Puget Sound Community College student Darla Stephens, 19, after Larson, a North Thurston High School teacher, proposed to Lorraine Lane, a teacher at Woodland Elementary School.

Lane, 36, had no idea she was about to be presented with a diamond solitaire when she agreed to ride in the parade with a friend, parade princess Erin Shannon, 30.

Lane said "yes" before being bundled into a white BMW sporting a "just engaged" sign.

Lane said she was in shock after the proposal, but proposing at the parade was a natural conclusion to the couple's dating years, Larson said.

The pair met at O'Blarney's Irish Pub in Olympia three years ago on St. Patrick's Day.

They began dating around St. Patrick's Day a year later.

"This just seemed like the right place and the right time," Larson said.

Although Lane didn't know what was in the works prior to the event, some of the couple's friends were on hand for the occasion.

Stephens' boyfriend, Jose Zelaya, 19, was a former student of Larson's and attended the parade primarily to see the couple become engaged.

"That was beautiful, I may do something like that -- some day," Zelaya said.

Thurston County Commissioner Kevin O'Sullivan, the parade's organizer, said he was excited about the turnout.

"This is twice as big as last year," he said. "It's wonderful."

About 20 groups participated in the parade, including the Olympia Highlanders Bagpiper Band, antique cars from the LeMay family collection, Scoil Rince Slieveloughane Irish Dance and the Fifth Army Band and Color Guard.

Kira Leingang, 5, and her brother, Nicholas, 6, a student at Black Lake Elementary School, performed with the Comerford School of Irish Dance.

Kira said it was the first parade in which she has been a participant.

"This is really fun," Kira said as she danced a Bum Skip -- a dance in which you kick your bum as you skip -- down Capitol Boulevard.

The children's grandfather, Patrick Molloy, 63, also enjoyed participating in the parade.

Molloy grew up in Galway, Ireland, and moved to Olympia in 1972. He misses Ireland occasionally and returns to the family farm there often.

"It's nice to have an Irish parade here now," Molloy said as he held up a Gaelic "Eire" -- meaning Ireland -- a green, white and orange-gold flag.

After the parade, many parade-goers proceeded to O'Blarney's Irish Pub for a party and auction for Big Brothers/Big Sisters.

Neal Hagglund, 48, of Olympia paid $500 at an auction last year to be the parade's grand marshal.

"Hey, it was money well spent. It's for a good cause," Hagglund said as he and his son, Zachary, 7, a student at Boston Harbor Elementary School, rode in a red and white classic Fairlane during the parade.

For more local news go to the South Sound section.

The Olympian Copyright 2002

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