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Mostly Cloudy St. Patrick's Parade draws record numbers
The Parade That Cares and Shares stepped off at noon on a blustery day last Saturday in Rockville Centre as nearly 2,500 onlookers — the best turnout in the event’s history — lined the new parade route along Lee and Grand avenues.
The annual St. Patrick’s Parade brought 136 organizations and groups from across Nassau County and New York City — and even from Ireland — to march on behalf of the event’s chosen charities. This year the parade will donate to New Ground, a nonprofit that helps homeless families and veterans on Long Island; the Angelman Syndrome Foundation, which is dedicated to advancing the awareness and treatment of Angelman syndrome through education, research, and support for sufferers and their families; and the Nassau County Ancient Order of Hibernians, which hosts an annual Irish Feis and Festival each fall. The total amount of money raised will be disclosed at the parade’s award ceremony in April.
“We had more people this year than we’ve ever had before, and the route really was just a little bit shorter ... and we finished 10 minutes earlier than we usually do,” said Kathleen Schwarting, the event’s president. “With all the quick changing of the routes, I think it came out really, really well.”
The new route, which was announced earlier this year, after Mayor Francis X. Murray determined that work on Maple Avenue wouldn’t be finished in time for the parade, proved popular among the attendees — even those who don’t live on Lee or Grand Avenue.
“Keep the route,” said Mary Beth Palazzolo, who lives on North Forest Avenue. “We loved it!”
The parade kept the crowd entertained for more than an hour and a half, as Grand Marshal Sean O’Rourke led charities, fire departments, unions, politicians, Vietnam War veterans, businesses, scout troops, newlyweds and pipe-and-drum corps from near and far on a lively march through the village. Sporting uniforms with splashes of green, pipers blared traditional folk tunes as the drums boomed loudly beside them.
Politicos and residents alike appeared to enjoy the event immensely. “This was amazing,” said Tommy “Handsome” O’Hanlon, a Rockville Centre Fire Department volunteer. “It’s great to see such a good turnout, and especially important to hear the strong support for the RVC Fire Department.”
State Sen. Dean Skelos, back in his hometown, agreed. “It’s sunny and green today in Rockville Centre,” he said. “It’s a wonderful parade that we all look forward to every year.”
According to Police Commissioner Charles Gennario, the traditional celebrations downtown after the parade were a bit rowdier than usual, and included four arrests and an injury to Sgt. Sal Mazza.
“The aftermath wasn’t as well behaved as it has been in past years,” Gennario said. “It was more crowded than usual for some reason, but it’s nothing that we’re not prepared to handle and nothing that we’re really surprised about. We’ve had a really long winter, and this was people’s first chance to get out.”
Murray said he thought the event went off without a hitch. “I think the change of route was actually a plus,” he said. “The crowds were fantastic. There were no complaints about the route whatsoever … [but] next year we’ll be back on our ‘Fifth Avenue.’”
