Eagles parade worth wait for local fans

They came by car, bus and train.

They woke up at an hour where some people haven’t even gone to bed.

They stood in the wind and cold for hours on end.

But area Eagles fans got the moment they’ve been waiting for all their lives: A parade down Broad Street.

“Anybody who’s a Philly fan knows this is a once in a lifetime experience, to see the Eagles’ first Super Bowl parade,” said Michayla Rabenold of Lehighton, who attended with her husband, Kory.

Despite a high temperature in the 30s, fans waited through the cold for hours to get a glimpse of the team. The crowds were 30-40 people deep in some areas by the time the team made its way up the parade route. Even blocks away, the streets were filled with pedestrians.

“You couldn’t move. Your body was touching everybody’s bodies. You couldn’t move 2 feet,” Rob Coleman of Kresgeville said.

Just getting to the parade was the biggest challenge for fans.

Coleman missed the Phillies championship parade in 2008 because he couldn’t get a seat on a train. This time he didn’t take any chances. A relative of one of his friends opened up their home Wednesday night.

A group of people from the Palmerton area got the idea to charter a bus for the parade. By Thursday, they had three buses sold out. Jaimie Labar of Palmerton woke up at 3 a.m. to catch one of the buses, got a subway ride to City Hall, and waited four hours until the team went by.

“I’ve been to Eagles games before, but nothing to compare to how many people came out to show their support today,” she said.

The Rabenolds’ group was lucky enough to get eight SEPTA passes, which were key to even making it to the parade. Just to get the passes, their friend waited in a two-hour line. Less dedicated fans in front of him got out of line. When he got to the end, there were exactly eight tickets left.

“If we didn’t get those train tickets, we most likely wouldn’t have been going,” Michayla said.

The city set up huge TVs to broadcast the parade to people as they waited. If you got there early enough, they actually played the entire Super Bowl game back. Fans were reacting just like it was Sunday night.

Cellphone service was spotty at best, thanks to a million fans trying to livestream their view of the parade.

In order to use the bathroom, fans had to wait in long lines for a portable toilet, or pay a $5 cover to get into a bar. But fans who ponied up the $5 to use a permanent toilet said it was money well spent.

On the parkway, where the Rabenolds set up, heading to the bathroom meant potentially losing your spot. And with no cellphone coverage, that could be perilous.

The portable toilets that were set up for the event were woefully inadequate for the crowd, the local fans said.

While you only got a glimpse of the players for 10-15 seconds, it was more about a loyal fan base finally getting its first Super Bowl championship.

The crowd wasn’t just your typical “700 Level” rowdies; there were lots of kids and families.

Of course there were plenty of intoxicated fans too, but the amount of mischief and fighting was minimal, at least during the parade itself. Labar noticed some bold fans wearing Dallas Cowboys jerseys.

Fans took different approaches to getting out. Labar was able to get back to the subway and to the comfort of the charter bus. Coleman headed out shortly after the parade passed his vantage point. The Rabenolds stuck it out and were caught in pedestrian gridlock. Police wouldn’t allow the crowds to enter the street, keeping them on the sidewalks.

“I said ‘I don’t think we’re getting home tonight,” Michayla said.

Luckily they did.

Fans benefited from having employers who were understanding that they were taking the day off. But most of them had to return to work on Friday. And after a long day, it would be tough, but worth it.

Tomorrow is going to be a hard day,” Labar said. “But it was worth it, standing in the cold and the wind, and fighting the crowd.”