IN PICTURES: KCB’S ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE RETURNS AFTER 2 YEARS OFF

Bill Alch, left, puts together a rowdy group of revelers for his float. From left: Alch, Dave Stennett, Mark Pritt, Jessica Pritt, Suzie Pritt, Michelle Flint, Andi Kimbrel. This reporter can attest to their aim when throwing beads.

For such a small city, Key Colony Beach throws a heck of a celebration. March 17 saw evening festivities for the luckiest day of the year kicked off by the annual Key Colony Beach St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Returning after a two-year hiatus, the procession down the length of Ocean Drive saw hundreds of participants greeted by onlookers young and old, many of whom were well-prepared to catch candy thrown from the floats.

“It was fun for everyone involved,” said longtime parade organizer Jack Crowley. “It’s tough to resurrect something like this after it’s been stopped for a couple of years, but people sure got behind it. There’s no way to properly thank all the people who were in it, but we definitely appreciate them, and I was really pleased with all the people who came out to the side of the road.”

Alex Rickert
Alex Rickert made the perfectly natural career progression from dolphin trainer to newspaper editor in 2021 after freelancing for Keys Weekly while working full time at Dolphin Research Center. A resident of Marathon since 2015, he fell in love with the Florida Keys community by helping multiple organizations and friends rebuild in the wake of Hurricane Irma. An avid runner, actor, and spearfisherman, he spends as much of his time outside of work on or under the sea having civil disagreements with sharks.