‘Everyone was happy’: Kids soak up the Eagles’ parade

The Williams sisters of Cherry Hill had an Eagles parade experience to remember: Mila, 5, was so excited she threw up. Kali, 7, tripped on the parking lot pavement.

Obviously, it was the best day ever.

“I liked seeing the Eagles,” said Kali, who was born three days before the last Eagles Super Bowl parade. “Everyone was happy.”

Like many parents, Mila and Kali’s mom and dad, Tyler and Lakshkmi Williams, wanted their girls to experience Philly at its happiest, the group joy of the city incandescent with glee over the Eagles’ Super Bowl win. So they pulled their kids from school — while some districts, including Philadelphia, gave students the day off for the parade, Cherry Hill, where Mila and Kali are in kindergarten and first grade, did not.

Tyler Williams came up with a game plan: Load the car up with chairs, snacks, a toddler potty, and other supplies. Drive to South Philadelphia, park at a lot close to I-76 and the beginning of the parade, wave at the players, run back to the car and home before the speeches were over at the Art Museum.

The barf and fall were minor setbacks, but the memories will last forever.

“I ran down a big hill!” said Mila. “It was fun!”

Some tiny fans will not remember the parade, but their parents wanted them to know someday that they were there.

Eileen O’Keefe, 33, was at the parade Friday with her 6-month-old daughter Hazel bundled up and strapped in a carrier, standing on South Broad Street between Carpenter and Christian to catch a glimpse of the Birds.

O’Keefe’s game plan was to stay on Broad until the parade passed, then head home to Bella Vista to put Hazel down for a nap and watch the rest of the festivities on TV.

“I just want her to get to experience the joy and the energy of Philadelphia,” O’Keefe said.

Charlotte Krzywicki is an avid tree climber, but she took her skills to new heights Friday with the help of a group of new friends — Eagles fans she had never met.

Two people hoisted her up by her feet as she grabbed onto a tree, and other fans spotted her as she made the highest climb she’s executed yet.

Charlotte hoisted herself onto a branch, her Nike-clad feet hanging over the crowd. When it was time to come down, fans spotted her as she shimmied down, and they carried her back into the crowd.

”It was fun, it was like really high,” said Charlotte. “It’s just, I was shaking a lot, I was like, scared.”

One of the Charlotte-boosters was Michael McClintic, 21. He said he wanted the girl to get “a beautiful view of the players,” even though she was a stranger and he got his hands dirty boosting her.

“It’s an experience of a lifetime for her,” said McClintic. “In Philadelphia they say, ‘Go Birds,’ and we fly high with our wings.”

There were also lessons in going with the flow. Anthony and Julianna Izanec, 11 and 9, had plans to watch the parade from the confines of their mom’s office — Nicole Izanec is president of the local SAG-AFTRA chapter, with offices on South Broad Street.

The kids got to miss school, and coming in on PATCO from their house in Haddonfield was a breeze.

But once they made it to the city, the family realized they couldn’t cross Broad Street, so they had to scramble. They walked to Broad and Catharine and caught the parade from there.

Anthony was a little mystified by the school buses carrying VIPs that “just had random people on them, people who didn’t even have jerseys on.” But when the buses carrying Eagles players came by, “it was pretty interesting, with all of the confetti, and people throwing beer at them.”

Julianna thought it was exciting, but was a little wide-eyed at Philly being Philly.

“There were a bunch of people screaming,” she said. “People were acting crazy; they kept saying curse words.”

Still, Julianna said, “it was fun.”

Malic Buckham may be only 10, but he’s already got the hang of what it takes to be an Eagles diehard: part loyalty, part trash talk. He relished both at the Super Bowl parade.

”As soon as they won, I was laughing and screaming,” said Buckham, of Wilmington, Del. He loved the Eagles’ domination, but he loved the humiliation of the Chiefs, too.

”That’s what y’all deserve!” said Malic. He and his cousin Markier Williams, 12, have their own nickname for the Chiefs: “the cheater Chiefs.”

The boys are die-hard Eagles fans — their favorite players are deeper cuts like Dallas Goedert and Darius Slay, not just Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley. But the cousins said they were excited to see any player up close.

The Bannon family was standing in between Tasker and Morris on Broad Street when they saw Barkley walking their way.

Tracy Bannon, grandmother of 3-year-old Lucy Bannon, was holding up a sign: ”Today is my 3rd birthday! Go Birds!”

Barkley stopped to greet the birthday girl, and picked her up for about 20 seconds while the family took photos.

”He could not have been nicer,” said Lucy’s father, Charlie Bannon.

Sam Woolf, 12, earned a high five and an autograph from Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr.

Trotter, the son of Eagles Hall of Famer Jeremiah Trotter Sr., ran off the bus and approached fans along South Broad Street.

Kids went crazy throwing him their belongings, from scarves to iPads.

Woolf, who came into the city with his mom, Liz Grant, from Jenkintown, walked away with a signed mini Eagles helmet.

”I feel really, really lucky,” said Sam.

Tyler Griffis, 31, Melissa Griffis, 31, and their baby David Griffis, 8 months, joined the festivities on Broad Street in South Philadelphia.

They made a sign that said “Saquon, sign my baby’s helmet,” referring to David’s therapy helmet.

Instead, it was Eagles linebacker Zack Baun who jumped off the bus, ran over to the family, signed the helmet, and kissed David on the side of the head.

Staff writers Ariana Perez-Castells, Alex Coffey, Ximena Conde, Nate File, Lizzy McLellan Ravitch, Ellie Rushing, and Aliya Schneider contributed to this article.