Photos by Dwayne Black Children grab candy tossed from floats at the first ever Spring Fling Parade in downtown Marshall on Saturday.

MARSHALL — The weather didn’t cooperate for St. Patrick’s Day. But the second try at a spring parade in downtown Marshall went off without a hitch on Saturday.

“We were so happy with the weather we had. It was perfect,” said Mavi Valentin, events coordinator with the Marshall Area Chamber of Commerce.

About 38 different businesses and clubs headed down Main Street for the first ever Spring Fling Parade. Organizers said they were happy with the participation and the turnout downtown. People lined part of Main Street as vehicles and parade marchers passed by.

The Marshall Downtown Business Association organized the spring parade after wintry weather canceled this year’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. People were disappointed not to have the St. Patrick’s parade, Valentin said.

“We kind of decided, why not have a spring parade?” she said.

The event brought out area businesses, as well as clubs like the 4-H Llama Project and the Shades of the Past car club, she said. Valentin estimated that about 60% of the parade units were the same groups who had planned on being part of the St. Patrick’s Day parade. There were also a few new businesses.

“That was very nice to see, too,” she said.

Whether or not the Spring Fling parade comes back next year will depend on if the weather is good enough to hold a St. Patrick’s Day parade. Organizers don’t plan on holding both parades every year, Valentin said.