It was a parade fit for the heartiest of Irish souls: politicians with beauty-queen waves, ruddy-faced bagpipers and 55-year-old men who were not afraid to see how many times in a row they could hoist beer kegs filled with sand and water -- even as their weary-eyed wives looked on, shaking their heads.

The cold rain may have been as authentic as a Kilkenny kilt, but it was a dismal backdrop to the McDonald's St. Patrick's Day Parade on Saturday -- normally one of Roanoke's premiere outdoor events. By all accounts, there were more people marching in the parade than watching it.

But back to the hearty lads. That would be Marty Elliott, 52, and Roger Hall, 55. They've been weight lifting together for 36 years and have the arthritis medications to prove it.

Before the parade, the Martinsville duo scored fourth place in the keg-lifting portion of Team Strongman, part of the HomeTown Bank Celtic Festival. The two oldest competitors, "We came prepared to pull a truck today," a rain-soaked Elliott said.

They practiced for months by harnessing themselves to a weight-topped sled, which they slogged up the hill next to Elliott's house. But, alas, the truck-hauling portion of the event was canceled because of weather.

"They wouldn't miss this competition for anything," said Elliott's wife, Paula. "I believe they'd do it from the hospital bed if they had to."

The parade featured the usual assortment of Hibernians and baton twirlers, along with the usual offbeat entries: a member of the Roanoke Valley Cool Cities Coalition dressed like a life-sized compact fluorescent light bulb, a child rowing a kayak on wheels (the Roanoke Outdoors Club), a Grandin Theatre volunteer handing out popcorn from the back of her spiffy 1953 Schwinn.

The ragtag marching band known as the Norman FishingTackle Choir played from its off-key repertoire consisting of "Twist and Shout," "When the Saints Go Marching In" and "Low Rider" -- occasionally all at the same time. Those who couldn't hit the high notes sang them instead.

Bagpiper Jim Baldwin claimed that FishingTackle had marched in more than 20 St. Patty's Day parades, including the very first assembly, which he described as a few people marching circles around the Roanoke City Market Building, with intermittent stops to drink a beer.

"Believe us, they've never sounded better," a parade announcer said.

It was supposed to an all-hands-on-deck day for most of the downtown bars and restaurants. But much of the waitstaff was sent home midday because of a dearth of business, with orders to return later when the reveling was due to start, rain or no.

By the parade's end, the Team Strongman competition still was in full swing, with nary a hernia popped -- at least none that anyone would admit. "We're still in fourth place," Elliott said.

He pointed to the 330-pound sphere he was about to attempt next -- "like a beach ball, only rock" -- and said he was sure he could hoist it to the railing "as long as I can get my grip."

Ed Gilmurray, a Brooklyn, N.Y., native who traveled from his home in Lynchburg for the parade, said the rain didn't dampen his Celtic pride. He stood in front of Milan Brothers puffing a stogie and gushing over the enthusiasm of the rain-soaked entrants.

"This is definitely the next-best thing to watching the New York City parade," he said. "I wouldn't miss it for anything."