‘See the parade through my Irish eyes’

As a child I spent many years attending the Wappingers Falls St. Patrick’s Day parade, but this year I got to be behind the scenes. Hundreds of people gather to cheer on the many people who march in the parade as well as drink beer and get the chance to celebrate Irish heritage, even if you’re not Irish.

Marching with Senator Sue Serino opened my eyes to the community in a way I’ve never seen before. Just the day before the parade Dutchess County suffered from thousands of power outages after the snow storm but that didn’t stop people from coming out with a smile on their face.

When starting to march the crowd gravitated towards the Senator. Her bubbly personality is infectious to anyone standing around her. Children ran up to her and gave her beads, she stopped to pet every dog and shake everyones hand. She showed me how to be personable through small gestures.

Throughout the entire parade the Senator would make comments like “I’m just so happy to be here,” or “make sure we have enough candy for the kids!” These comments reflect exactly how she feels about her constituents. Marching beside her I felt so loved. Every corner we turned people would yell “Sue we love you!” and she would smile and wave to each and every one of them.

Towards the end of the parade the Senator and I were walking back to the cars when Jenna Valente, student from Marist College approached her and said “I met you a couple years ago and I’m not sure if you remember me but it was on the Walkway Over the Hudson for a suicide prevention walk.” Without hesitation the Senator knew exactly who she was and remembered that she was even on the Marist Cheerleading team.

Besides being able to celebrate one of my favorite days of the year I got to learn so much about the Senator and it made me really appreciate all that she does for the community.