Photo by Mike Lamb Marshall Tigers softball team players have fun with the crowd by throwing candy.

MARSHALL — Undeterred by the 38-degree temperature, Drew Shaw and Sarah Vogel declared their spot on Main Street 20 minutes before the start of Saturday’s St. Patrick’s Parade.

They usually travel back to their hometown, Davenport, Iowa, for the St. Patricks Day Bi-state parade. But with a threat blizzard conditions hitting the Midwest, they decided to stay in Marshall.

“My family always walks through it (Iowa parade). If it’s snowing, raining, anything,” Shaw said.

“So we were excited to have one here,” Vogel said.

One block down from the street, JV Christianson and his sister, Judith, also showed up early.

“I can’t make up my mind if there is going to be a parade,” Christianson said with a laugh. “Actually, one of the participants in the parade is related.”

His sister got more specific.

“She’s a pet groomer. She’s starting a new business. You know it’s difficult to start one. So we support her,” she said.

Jordan and Shane Gray also bundled up their two children, Kaden and Evee, and arrived early for the parade. Their daughter was on the Marshall girls softball team float.

“We haven’t been to a parade, so we didn’t know how early we needed to come. I guess, we could have waited a bit longer,”Jordan Gray said.

10 minutes late, Main Street was lined with hundreds of parade fans.

The softball team ended up being one of the more entertaining floats. The players encouraged parade goers to get ready for a big wind up and toss for candy and cheering on the catching. A team participant chased a big blow-up softball and playing catch with young parade goers.

Ahead of the softball team, a young man dressed up as a Leprechaun.

There was also plenty of fire trucks, a garbage truck, and other large vehicles.

Even the Minneota Boxelder Bug Days royalty bundled up and waving from the back end of a pickup truck.