SAVANNAH — Ask residents of this coastal Georgia town their favorite holiday, and even gift-loving small children have been known to give a surprising answer: St. Patrick’s Day.
Savannah is home to either the second- or third-largest St. Patrick’s Day parade in the United States, rivaling Irish heritage celebrations in New York and Chicago. The annual march, which winds 3 miles through the city’s picturesque historic district, draws tens of thousands of revelers and blends the best parts of a family reunion and football tailgate.
The celebration launched with the greening of the waters of the iconic Forsyth Park fountain on March 5, continues through the downtown parade on March 17, the day honoring the fifth-century Christian missionary known as “the apostle of Ireland.”…