Shriners to sit out another St. Pat's in Savannah

SAVANNAH - By shrinking the size of the nation&#39;s second-largest Saint Patrick&#39;s Day parade, Savannah&#39;s parade committee has made hardliners of the local Shriners. <br> <br> For the second straight year, Shriners who once entertained the Saint Pat&#39;s crowds by dressing as pirates, clowns and Keystone Cops say they will boycott the Savannah parade and take their shenanigans to another city. <br> <br> The reason for the dispute: Parade organizers will no longer allow all two thousand local Shriners to march in the parade. The event is far Savannah&#39;s most popular, drawing crowds of up to 500,000 every March. <br> <br> Warren Brown, potentate of the civic club&#39;s Alee Temple, says if some can not partake in the parade then none will. <br> <br> Last year, the parade committee in Savannah decided to scale back the size of the parade, saying it had become too long. With more than 300 floats, pipe bands, school groups and antique convertibles in the parade, the Shriners had long been the largest single participant. <br> <br> Organizers had hoped to coax the Shriners back after the group took its miniature go-carts and pirate ship float to Augusta and Hilton Head, South Carolina, last year. <br> <br> Parade chairman Hugh Coleman says the Shriners&#39; decision leaves him ``shocked and disappointed.&#39;&#39;