Green lined the letters on "Kiss Me, I'm Irish" sweatshirts, streaked across dozens of scalps and formed the silly string that was spattered along Augusta's St. Patrick's Day Parade route.

The hue, synonymous with the annual Irish holiday, was also the one of choice for the blankets and jackets families used to keep warm during Thursday's chill.

Temperatures in the 40s noticeably lowered turnout for the parade and Irish Fest, held at the Augusta Common, but many area residents, including Bonnie York, of Aiken, were still enjoying the low-key celebrations throughout the afternoon.

"I'm freezing my butt off, but still having a great time," she said while standing next to her 17-year-old daughter, Adrianna Morse, in the 700 block of Broad Street.

The pair have made it a point to come to the Garden City's St. Patrick's Day festivities each year since Adrianna was born, Ms. York said, so they were not going to let a little cold keep them away.

Nor was Shannon Danielle Pryor, who turned 15 on Thursday. She said it was a tradition for her family and friends to huddle together to watch the parade on her birthday each St. Patrick's Day.

"When she gets older, I told her we'll go to Savannah," said Shannon's mother, Patrice Snipes. "Maybe when she's 18."

Lasting just more than 30 minutes, the parade featured marching bands from Lucy C. Laney, Butler and T.W. Josey high schools; a performance by the U.S. Army Signal Corps band; and car after car of families tossing candy into the streets.

Little girls with their hair in ringlets and tiaras represented the Irish Dancers of Augusta, a popular float.

But for 8-year-old Aaron Hebbard, the 95 Rock truck - with DJ Rob Hamilton addressing the crowd - really rocked "because I just like that music," he said.

Aaron, joined by his 10-year-old brother, James, got the afternoon off from Evans Elementary School and was taking in the parade with this family's 3-year-old English bulldog, Abby, who was sporting a "Kiss Me, I'm Irish" sweater.

Kim Hebbard, their mother, said Abby is the sister of the University of Georgia's famed mascot, Uga VI, owned by a Savannah family.

"We heard Uga VI was going to be in the (Savannah) parade, so we decided to bring her (Abby)," Ms. Hebbard said.

Reach Dena Levitz at (706) 823-3339 or dena.levitz@augustachronicle.com.

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