CARBONDALE -- It took 185 years but Carbondale is back in the spirit of St. Patrick's Day.
The Pioneer City hosted its first St. Pat's Parade since 1833 with a nighttime march along Main Street.
"So we're trying it at night, and the crowd is amazing. It's enormous," said Mayor Justin Taylor.
The popular lore in Carbondale is that on St. Patrick's Day back in 1833 the city got a little bit of snow. Three feet of snow. Coincidence or not, the Pioneer City never held another St. Patrick's parade until this one.
Mayor Justin Taylor decided to recreate the tradition with the twist of holding the parade at night.
"We had a huge turnout this past year for our lighted Christmas parade and we thought what's the next holiday? Let's try something. Everybody wants to be festive for St. Patrick's Day. Here we are," said Taylor.
And the whole city seemed to turn out.
Timothy Mulhall is a trumpet player in the high school band.
"Everybody probably thinks its amazing, that after this long we can still keep the traditions that we did back then, and it's very nice to keep it going, and it's nice to hang out with my family," said Mulhall.
Nine-year-old Colin Baker broke out his best green glasses.
"They are very hard to see out of," said Baker.
Businessman Bill Kerl of the Kerl Ice Company put his whole family to work on the company's float.
"Kids and I decided to do something a little different. Decorated it with luck of the Irish. Grandsons play the leprechauns."
And Kerl's crowning touch, the pot of ice at the end of the rainbow.
Just like in 1833 it snowed again at this parade but no one here expects it to be another 185 years before the city tries it again.