St. Patrick’s Day Parade marks start of Irish festivities
For 28 straight years, the Dutchess County St. Patrick’s Parade by St. Mary’s Church has been a staple of the area. It’s an opportunity for Irish residents to get their St. Patrick’s day started early and get them in the holiday spirit.
It all started in the Fall of 1995, when the St. Patrick’s Parade Committee was formed by many members of the community along with the Kevin Barry Irish Club. They then met to discuss the idea of having a St. Patrick’s Day Parade for Dutchess County residents.
From that moment on, the committee was officially formed, the fundraising started to begin, and 28 years later, it’s still going strong.
Sponsors are the main reason for the event’s longevity. Notable sponsors include Adams Fairacre Farms, Mahoney’s Irish Pub, Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office and many more.
The parade appeals to people of all ages; for kids, it’s a fun thing to go to because they get candy thrown in their direction from the people on the parade floats.
For adults, it’s an enjoyable, friendly social gathering that all people can take part in, whether or not they have Irish heritage.
Aislinn Speranza has been coming to this event with family and friends for over ten years. She feels that it marks the start of the St. Patrick’s Day season. Even though Speranza now lives in the Bronx, she still considers coming to this parade the best way to start off the festivities.
“You should be proud of where you come from,” said Speranza. “You should be proud of your background, no matter what it is. It’s really nice to find your community and have everybody come out and celebrate. Whether they’re Irish or not, we’re Irish this month.”
Many of the parade’s attendees represent churches and religious groups from the local area. Father Jon Tveit from the Church of St. Mary and Father Michael Connelly from Our Lady of Lourdes High School both attended the parade for the first time this year.
Father Tveit thinks celebrating the holiday earlier is important because closer to the holiday is the big parade in New York City, so getting it in early is a nice alternative.
“It’s a nice thing to celebrate Irish heritage and have a little bit of a Catholic faith aspect to it,” said Father Tveit.
Father Connelly, on the other hand, talked about the importance of celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in a much more spiritual manner.
“[If we’re] honoring St. Patrick then we’re honoring his spirit of evangelization and spreading the gospel,” said Father Connelly. “That doesn’t always come through in the ways in which we celebrate him, unfortunately, but we can celebrate him that way by coming together in prayer and joyfully recognizing that he gave his whole life in the interest of sharing the joy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with other people.”
A joyful spirit exuded from attendees of all ages. Irish or not, everyone was there to have a good time and live out the deep-rooted tradition of Dutchess County.
