DIXON - The fire engine hoisted the platform, draped with both the Irish and American flags, high above Veterans Memorial Bridge, readying it to spray green dye from a hose into the Rock River.

The crowd looked on, and waited for the dye to begin the party. But no water.

Firefighters brought the mechanical bucket back to the street to check the problem. Then without warning, the hose attached to the platform began spraying water, dousing a small group of onlookers on the sidewalk, including Debra and Rick Munson, of Dixon, who were both taking pictures of the event for the Rock River Shamrock Club.

"I was kind of shocked," said Debra Munson afterwards, with a smile. But she'd been wet before, she said with a chuckle, and she'd deal with it.

Luckily for the Munsons, the weather was sunny and mild Saturday. Also, Dixon firefighters hadn't yet added the dye to the fire hose, which was soon successfully shooting the green liquid into the river. With that, the St. Patrick's Day Parade through downtown Dixon had begun.

Leading the way was this year's grand marshal, Larry Dunphy, owner of Books on First in Dixon. He was followed by everything green - green floats, green people, even green horses.

Ten-year-old Kennidy Summers of Dixon, dressed as a leprechaun, went through the parade riding her horse, Casper, who she'd painted in stripes resembling a rainbow. At times during the parade, Summers stood atop the saddle, showing off to the crowd on Casper, who Kennidy's mom said didn't mind the festive coloring.

"He's use to it," Dawn Summers said. "She paints him all the time."

Other parade attractions included "Ireland's field of dreams," a float showing off rows of wooden shamrocks in place of corn. One of the most popular floats carried the Sweet Potato Girls, who received a cheer from those in the parade when they first made their way out from Dixon High School wearing full green dresses and red wigs.

While many in the parade were dressed as Irish for the day with fake orange beards and clove stickers stuck to their cheeks, a group of true Irish from Dixon's sister city, Castlebar, in the County of Mayo, Ireland, also marched through the city streets.

Councilor Blackie Gavin and Chief Fire Officer Seamus Murphy walked through the parade with a smile as Dixon's invited guests. They were grateful to be there, they said. St. Patrick's Day is celebrated in Ireland, but not to the extent it is in the United States, Gavin said.

"America's very proud of its Irish roots," Gavin said. "Irish families made a huge contribution to Dixon and the United States of America, and we're very proud of that."

Reach Jim Butts at (815) 625-3600, (815) 284-2222 or (800) 798-4085, ext. 570.