Big Plans For 36th Annual St. Patrick's Parade

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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Rain Friday in Dallas delayed some of the preparations for the Greenville Avenue St. Patrick's Day Parade but the parade will go on, as planned.

Organizers say the VIP/reserved bleachers will go up tonight along with tents that were to be erected earlier Friday.

Norma Valles, who sings every Saturday night at her restaurant, Casita Tex Mex on Blackwell, will sing on the restaurant's float during the parade.

"I'm going to sing a few songs" says Valles. "Mariachi, Ranchera, a little bit of Tejano and Selena."

The parade organizers are bringing back The Family Place Family Zone which will have about a dozen food trucks, nearly twice as many as last year.

The new Brew Fest area will be located on Greenville Avenue south of Lovers Lane and beer will be for sale there starting at 9am Saturday.

Also on hand, a large contingency of police officers. Dallas Police spokesman Sgt. Warren Mitchell says the huge party atmosphere will be no excuse for people suspected of driving under the influence.

"If you're stopped and you're believed to be intoxicated, and you refuse to give a same of your breath, then we will execute a warrant to get a sample of your breath" says Mitchell.

Organizers say they expect about 125,000 people to attend the parade. In the Lower Greenville Avenue area, there will be a block party that lasts until 7pm.

Organizers recommend people use DART due to the lack of parking space in the nearby neighborhoods. Police say anyone illegally parked will be towed.