It started as a ragtag, rush-hour ditty with a parade permit and police escort on St. Patrick's Day 1983 — a Thursday. That was either perfect timing (for a festival entrepreneur) or incredibly inconvenient (for a downtown worker trying to get home).
No matter how delightful the marchers and the music, drivers were not amused.
There was a promising start at CS's with White "pleasantly surprised" by the contingent. Then huge commotion once the parade snaked onto Capitol and blocked off the street. "There were a lot of horns blowing and people waving. I just thought: Admiration."
Uh, no. Intrepid celebrants made their way to George Street Grocery anyway, where the Bluz Boys on a float kept playing and a street dance erupted. At that point, White knew "there was the possibility of a repeat."
And that rush-hour backlash? White rode that dust-up with as firm a seat as a politician in a parade convertible. "We stretched it out as far as we could in the news, and on radio and TV. ... I could tell there was interest building around this. I immediately began to plan the next year.
"St. Paddy's never lost its momentum."
Parade themes started cropping up fairly early in the game. With those, "I try to tell the Mississippi story, which is all I've ever done. I'm a one-trick pony," said the man whose incarnations also include music promoter, event creator, restaurateur, state arts leader and now state tourism director. Parade themes might tie into a national story, such as "Sixteen Scandals" the year then-President Bill Clinton was embroiled in one, "but mostly I try to make it local," and share cool tidbits about the state.
That's certainly the case this year, with the theme, "Bringing Home the Grammyphone," and legendary blues entertainer Bobby Rush of Jackson as the parade marshal.
"It's such a big deal that Mississippi is opening this Grammy museum this year, and that Mississippi has more Grammy recipients per capita than any other state in the Union. We're real proud of that," White said, and longtime friend Rush's third Grammy nomination this year (best blues album, "Decisions") "was perfect."
The Grammy Museum Mississippi, now under construction on the Delta State University campus in Cleveland, is expected to open next fall.
A little roll through history is a tour of themes past. White recalled "Irish I Was in the Land of Cotton," as the first theme, "and after that, I started 'Irishing' for everything," from helping the children to saving downtown. The theme "Elvis was Irish" one year saw massive participation. "We had to get permission from Graceland and Elvis Presley Enterprises."
"And then there was 2002, one of my favorites, '2002: A Palindrone.' Boy, that one was really tough to sell. But I loved it." Dorothy Moore was the grand marshal the year the parade toasted "The Wizard of Oz." Tiny Tim was the marshal another year, tiptoeing through a theme whose name escaped White at the moment. Brother Hal and he dressed as Bert and Ernie and marched under a huge Kermit the Frog balloon the year "It Ain't Easy Bein' Green" was the banner.
Some parade folks tie into the theme with their floats, costumes, and/or presentations for the Buckethead judges. Some don't. It's all good. Mostly green and gaudy, too.
Along the way, Mal's St. Paddy's Parade has picked up events and sprouted arms that weren't even a twinkle in White's eye at the outset.
There's a children's parade, a children's festival, a pet parade and, in the past several years, a major headliner for a ticketed street festival concert.
Its street festival is a business venture, but registration fees for the Mal's St. Paddy's Run and the parade's floats and motorized vehicles, as well as a City Sweep before step-off, benefit Batson Children's Hospital. Mal's St. Paddy's Parade and related activities have raised $511,000 for the hospital.
"Malcolm was one of the first community leaders who stepped up, agreed to come and tour the hospital and see what the needs were," the hospital's Tena McKenzie said. White saw the value and hasn't wavered in that commitment. "The great thing is, he's brought so many other people along with him to be cheerleaders for the hospital, and that's very powerful."
A route change to flow between the Jackson Convention Complex and the Art Garden at the Mississippi Museum of Art, "has been great for us," museum director Betsy Bradley said, creating a family-friendly viewing spot and pulling in people who might not otherwise have known about museum and its inviting green space.
The parade platform and draw helped fuel fandom for Sweet Potato Queen Jill Conner Browne's series of books and Wannabe phenomenon which has since spun off into its own Zippity Doo Dah Parade in Fondren the following weekend.
Even with its growth and high profile, White can envision a day when the parade might have run its course — if he doesn't want to do it anymore and no one else wants to pick it up. "Truth is, I don't know when that might be," White said, but assumed it might be a similar scenario to Hal & Mal's in the wake of Hal's death; their children stepped up to plate.
The parade has put St. Paddy's on the city map in a big way and other bars, restaurants, clubs and fundraisers concentrate events around St. Paddy's. And all those can pull folks away from the post-parade street festival and concert that's the event's economic engine. There may come a day when it's cost-prohibitive.
"As long as there are sponsors and partners, and I'm able to walk down the street, I'll keep doing it," he said. "Who knows where one or two of the wheels might fall off that truck and where it might go? But for today, I'm good."
And come March 21, it marches again to the beat of culture, Mississippi, tourism and one other key component.
"It has always and it will always, as long as I have anything to do with it, have a sense of humor.
"Always."
How to do Mal's St. Paddy's Parade
Arrive early. The parade steps off at 1 p.m., but events all morning mean a gradually building crowd. Plus, street closings block off a lot of downtown.
Bring cash, park where you can and be prepared to pay to do it.
Cash comes in handy, too, if you need to "rent" relief at someone else's portable toilet. Or, position yourself within easy reach of a public bathroom (near the Jackson Convention Complex, Arts Center of Mississippi and Mississippi Museum of Art are options).
Wear sunscreen. Or a hat. A canopy works, too, but you'll have to set it up early. Or make friends with someone who did.
Bring water to stay hydrated. If consuming adult beverages, watch your intake, drink responsibly and stick close to your designated driver.
Let shorter people, especially children, stand in front of you so they can see. Do not snatch beads out of their little hands. That's just rude.
Bring a picnic. You might get hungry. Or, you know, bring cash.
Mal's St. Paddy"s Parade and Festival schedule
5 p.m. Hal's Marching MALfunction, at King Edward Hotel on Capitol St.
7 a.m. Float lineup begins
8 a.m. St. Paddy's 5K Run, at Jackson Convention Complex on Pascagoula St.
9 a.m. WLBT Children's Festival, South Lamar Street in front of the Mississippi Museum of Art
10 a.m. Pet Parade presented by Mississippi Animal Rescue Leagues, South Lamar Street in front of the Mississippi Museum of Art
11 a.m. Children's Parade, South Lamar Street in front of the Mississippi Museum of Art
1 p.m. Mal's St. Paddy's Parade starts at the corner of State and Court streets
After Parade (no coolors or pets allowed) Awards Ceremony and Official After Party featuring Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Dumpstaphunk and more, $20 advance (at Hal & Mal's or ardenland.net), $25 at the gate, must be 18 or older to attend