News: A Weekend of St. Patrick’s Day Parades
(Long Island, N.Y.) On Saturday, March 12th and Sunday, March 13th the towns of Bay Shore/Brightwaters and Huntington will host their annual St. Patrick’s Day parades. They are some of many Long Island towns that will have parades, all serving as impressive alternates to the parade in New York City. This weekend’s parades will give Long Islander’s a reason to stay local and enjoy the March festivities.
This Saturday at noon the Bay Shore/Brightwaters parade will begin at 9 North Clinton Avenue in Bay Shore. It will reach Saxon Avenue at 2pm sharp and travel west onto Main Street/Montauk Highway for 1.6 miles before reaching its destination of St. Patrick’s Church. The parade is run by the Annual Bay Shore/Brightwaters St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee and Annual Bay Shore/Brightwaters St. Patrick’s Day Parade Incorporated is considered a public charity currently accepting donations.
The event is always held on the second Saturday in March, and aspires to be the best parade on Long Island. Funds are raised to help the bands and organizations that march in the parade. The float contest and best pipes and drums band contests award winners with an array of trophies and cash prizes; contestants are judged by the reviewing stand at the church.
Some of the marching groups expected to participate in the event are bag pipe, brass, and fire department bands. Mummers from Philadelphia are expected to march, along with horses, clowns, and antique cars. More than fifteen additional floats and bands are also expected to attend.
Admittance to the parade is free, but those who wish to march must fill out a form and be approved by the committee. This year’s parade Grand Marshalls are Jack Finnerty Jr. and Charlie Hughes. A mass will be held at noon showcasing Hibernian Festival singers.
Huntington’s Ancient Order of Hibernians will hold their 77th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade the following day, Sunday March 13th at 2pm. It will begin just north of Huntington Station near Route 110 and travel along New York Avenue. After turning West on Main Street, it will finish at St. Patrick’s Church.
This event is Long Island’s oldest and largest St. Patrick’s Day parade, and is hosted by the Ancient Order of Hibernians who dress distinctively in gray morning tuxes. It is run completely by Huntington‘s AOH chapter which solicits to local businesses that sponsor the parade’s expenses. The influx of visitors and participating residents keep the local spots filled with patrons and customers, adding to the overall prosperity of the area.
The first event was held in the 1930s at the time of the country’s Great Depression. Finnegan’s and Valencia Tavern opened in nearby areas the day after prohibition ended to attract the Irish and Italian workers in the area. Both came together to celebrate the St. Patrick’s Day holiday on the second Sunday in March to coincide with the unofficial start of spring.
More than fifty thousand residents and former residents are expected to gather in Huntington Village to support the twenty-five bag pipe and marching bands, including the NYPD Emerald Society Pipe Band. Also participating are the marching bands from Huntington and Walt Whitman High Schools, twenty antique cars, and the Petri School of Irish Dancing’s step dancers.
Huntington‘s chapter of AOH organizes many charity events, provides scholarships, and is the lead donor to eight local parish food pantries. The National Ancient Order of Hibernians is an Irish-American Catholic organization that was founded in New York City in 1836. Its roots can be traced to Ireland, and its motto is that of “Friendship, Unity, and Christian Charity.”
