Winter in Manhattan is officially declared over with the coming of Irish Fest, culminating in the Irish Fest parade. (This is the case even if snow is piling up and the windchill is a healthy decade below zero.) At the end of the parade the town Christmas tree is unceremoniously taken down and dragged through town chained to the back of a pickup truck. This year we had beautiful weather and a great time. Please excuse the shaky camera: my Flip camcorder has no image stabilizer. As for my dorky laugh, I have no excuse.
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Did I hear you say, "we salute it"? Hah Hah Hah! That's hilarious. Is that the proper response to a chopped down evergreen being dragged behind a pickup truck? Or are you supposed kick it? Or toss some dirt on it as it passes by? I can't tell. Who thought this thing up anyway and did beer play an integral role? No dirge music, no farewell, just the whishing sound of a tree on pavement.
I tried to look up some history on this tree-dragging part, but only found this article,
http://www.southtownstar.com/news/2087948,030710manhattanfest.article
...where the guy in the truck is quoted as saying, "It's kind of a tradition that we do around here at the end of a parade." Kind-of a tradition? I love it.
You'll have to read the quote about the bagpipes "tuning up" before the parade.
-MB
It is a wonderful thing, watching a large ex-Christmas tree being dragged through town. I'm not sure what the proper response is ... sort of like watching the last snowman of winter contort and deform before devolving into a sad, slushy lump on the lawn. It isn't so much a "tradition" as much as "that thing that happens." And yes, I suspect the whole affair has its roots in some beer-soaked conversation outside of Gallagher's ... which not coincidentally is comfortably within the line of sight of Times Square, where the Christmas tree is proudly perched. (Did I mention we have a Times Square? Don't laugh, we have a Central Park too.)
As for the bagpipes ... I just love bagpipes. But the quote you found made me laugh out loud.
Q. Why do pipers always march when they play?
A. They're trying to get away from the noise.
"Q. Why do pipers always march when they play?
A. They're trying to get away from the noise."
Well, I admit I don't have any all-bagpipe disks in my collection.
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