Like Christmas, St. Patrick’s Day only comes once a year, so the Irish in Hoboken like to be prepared.
So prepared are they, in fact, that the annual parade will be held two weeks before the day that actually commemorates the saint.
Organizers of the parade say that moving their celebration up allows them to hire the best bands in the region. If the parade were held on March 17, the best bands would likely be marching in Manhattan or at some other major event. This year, the parade will march down Washington Street on March 3 at 1 p.m.
Recently the grand marshals of parades in previous years gathered to select a local resident to serve as grand marshal this year.
They agreed on John Carey, the owner of Ricco’s, an Italian restaurant on Washington Street between 10th and 11th streets. Carey is also a member of the board of the Hoboken Chamber of Commerce.
This won’t be the first time that Carey has marched in the parade.
“I’ve always been the starter,” he said, referring to the person who organizes the launch of the parade and blows the whistle to get it going. “I’ve been elevated. But I must say I always liked being the starter. It was the one time of the year that I got to tell the mayor what to do.”
Other honorees
Carey will be flanked by longtime Hoboken residents Maureen Burns Kelman, the Irishwoman of the year, and Michael “Oakie” O’Connor, the Irishman of the year, when he marches downtown.
Kelman and O’Connor were also selected by the previous grand marshals.
Kelman said that she was excited about the chance to participate.
“I remember going to Jersey City to see the St. Patrick’s Day Parade when we were kids,” she explained. “This is just something you go to if you are Irish. You almost have to.”
The parade, which is organized by Helen Cunning and an army of volunteers, is run without spending a single taxpayer dollar. The bulk of the money necessary to host it is raised at the annual Irish Dinner Party. Carey explained that “a lot of people think that the parade just sort of happens, but we need to raise this money to pay for the bands.”
This year the dinner party will be held at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 18 at our Lady of Grace School Hall at the corner of Fifth and Willow streets. A ticket of $40 buys dinner and access to an open bar. Call 653-6712 for more information.