SAVANNAH - When the fountains in Savannah's parks and squares start gushing green water, it's a sure sign that St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner.

The grand marshal of the city's St. Patrick's Day parade, Tim Ansley, will kick off the week leading up to Savannah's biggest holiday by dumping green dye into Forsyth Park's cast-iron fountain on Friday. In all, about a dozen fountains in the city will get a dye job before the day ends.

It's a 40-year-old tradition that started as a prank in Savannah, which boasts the nation's second largest St. Patrick's Day parade. Now city groundskeepers keep the fountain waters dyed with clockwork precision every year.

Savannah expects large crowds for the parade this March 17, as the Irish holiday falls on a Saturday.