Mar 16, 2007 11:44 pm US/Central
Greenville Expects Larger St. Pat's Crowds
Residents, Bar Owners, Police Make Provisions For Other Parade Cancellation
by Jay Gormley
(CBS 11 News)
North Texans will have one less place to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. The Annual Downtown Dallas Parade was canceled due to a lack of funds.
Some say this rescheduled could send thousands of spectators over to the Greenville Avenue Parade where more than 100 floats will roll on by.
With more spectators likely on hand, it could be a busy day for Dallas police. Officers also will handle the Annual St. Patrick's Day Block Party that follows on Greenville Avenue.
"Frankly, it's kind of fun to just put a chair out onto your lawn and watch the people go by," resident Sharon Kushner smirks.
Dallas police say they are prepared for up to 60,000 partygoers combined.
Bar owners along Greenville say they are ready, too.
"I know one thing, there's no controversy this year or for the past four or five years actually."
The big party has come a long way. From the late 90's to the early part of this decade, neighbors and bar owners were at odds.
Numerous accounts of public drunkenness, people urinating in nearby yards and drunk driving had residents calling for an end to the party.
During the past four years, however, bar owners appeased the neighbors by hiring more police, installing more portable potties and adding no parking signs.
In addition, they plan to maintain a stricter perimeter around the block party.
"Over the last four years, the neighborhood bars, the city and the neighborhood association has come together to lay out a better plan for the control of the block party as well as the neighborhood," explained Marvin Singleton with the Lower Greenville Neighborhood Association.
Dallas police say they will have extra officers on hand, including tactical police and officers on horseback.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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