Cold air and an occasional snow flurry did little to dampen the St. Patrick’s Day spirit in Carbon County on Sunday.

Thousands of revelers, many of them wearing green, lined Broadway and West Broadway in Jim Thorpe for the 18th annual Carbon County St. Patrick’s Day parade.One day earlier, Mother Nature wiped out Bethlehem’s celebration, leaving organizers in Carbon County feeling fortunate.“The turnout is great and we’re very fortunate that it’s only cold outside and not raining,” said Ron Sheehan, of the Carbon County Ancient Order of Hibernians, Alec Campbell Division 1, who sponsors the parade along with the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians, Mollie Maguire Division 1 of Carbon County. “We consider ourselves very lucky to have the support that we do for this parade and I think everyone really enjoyed themselves. As always, the police did a fine job of keeping everything under control.”Grand marshal Gary Dobias, former Carbon County district attorney, led off the parade, which featured a number of bagpipe, drum and dance bands, local politicians and fire companies, and other area agencies.“We always have a great time,” said Paul Nagy, of Jim Thorpe, who attended with his wife and two sons. “The parade is a real asset to the town. Jim Thorpe draws a lot of visitors anyway, but this is a great chance to show off this wonderful community. I know a lot of people with Irish heritage around here and yes, it’s a party, but it’s also a chance to recognize your roots.”For more on the parade, read an upcoming print edition of the Times News. Also, check out a photo gallery on the Times News website,

www.tnonline.com.