CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — The 50th anniversary of the annual SaPaDaPaSo — St. Patrick’s Day Parade Society — parade was celebrated on a blustery day in downtown Cedar Rapids.
With temperatures starting in the 50s and winds gusting to 40 mph, about 70 entries made their way downtown on Monday, March 17, 2025, the traditional day the parade has been held since its inception in 1975, with few exceptions.
The Shea family, whose father, John Shea, carried a sign in the inaugural parade in 1976, commemorated the 50th anniversary by carrying replica signs at the start of the parade.
Their father died in 2020, but about 20 family members participated in the parade, including sisters Lissa, who traveled from Chicago, and Kerry, from Des Moines.
A photo of the inaugural 1976 parade, with John Shea holding a sign third from the left, was seen during the 2025 parade. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
The first parade in 1976 lasted four minutes and was a block and a half long.
Crowds held onto their hats and lined the parade route, as temperatures gradually increased through the afternoon.
In 2022, organizers cited a challenge with finding volunteers during the workweek in moving the parade to the Saturday before St. Patrick’s Day, but returned to the traditional day in 2024.
See photos from the 2024 parade.
Even with wind chills below freezing, large crowds lined the streets of downtown Cedar Rapids to watch about 90 units in the 2024 parade.
The parade celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2025. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
As COVID-19 concerns elevated in March 2020, organizers decided to cancel the parade, which had been held, rain or shine, since 1976.
In 2021, before COVID-19 vaccine was widely available, the parade was moved to Hawkeye Downs in southwest Cedar Rapids, where organizers held “the first and last, one of a kind race track parade.”
Spectators stayed in their vehicles and drove around to view parade entries that remained stationary inside the track.
See photos from the 2023 parade and more from the 2025 parade, below:
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