BUTTE — Butte residents and visitors gathered to mark St. Patrick's Day with the city's annual parade and festivities, celebrating the Irish heritage that has long defined the community.
I took to the streets of Butte to take in the sights and sounds of the annual celebration.
Caden Tippett, a member of the Butte Central Pep Band, said the day carries deep cultural meaning for the city.
WATCH: Butte's St. Patrick's Day parade: Sights, sounds & Irish pride
"The Irish culture in Butte is very big, and it's very important that we continue to embrace that culture and keep it alive so that our children and our grandchildren can experience that culture too," Tippett said.
For 22 years, Viktor Kujawa has taken on the role of St. Patrick during the parade, carrying on a tradition of driving out snakes and forgiving hangovers.
"You gotta bring on the sunshine and drive away the storm clouds and forgive hangovers and drive the snakes out," Kujawa said.
Francas Shea came prepared to spread the celebration, bringing around 200 beads to hand out to people along the parade route.
For visitors like Amy Meyer of Whitefish, the draw of Butte's St. Patrick's Day is hard to put into words.
"The people, the buildings, the party...it's so fun!" Meyer said.
Butte resident Zoe Jensen said the sense of community is what makes the day special.
"It's really cool to see everybody all together, you know. Everybody all gets along, and it's pretty neat to see everybody all in one place," Jensen said.
This article has been lightly edited with the assistance of AI for clarity, syntax, and grammar.
