The Hoboken St. Patrick’s Parade Committee hosts their annual “Irish Party” this Sunday, Feb. 22, a fundraising event to support the upcoming March 7 parade. At the event, they will publicly honor this year’s grand marshal.
Held from 5 to 9 p.m., the party will feature a steaming plate of corned beef and cabbage, live entertainment by the band Round the House, and an open bar for $50. In addition to the Irish food and drink, guests will also receive a journal with plenty of information about the Hoboken community and the upcoming parade.
“The parade promises to be bigger and better than ever.” – Bill Coughlin
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For more information, go to www.hobokensaintpatricksparade.org.
Drum roll, please…
This year’s grand marshal will be Marie Wall, owner of the Shannon Lounge, 106 First St. in Hoboken. Marie has been involved in the Hoboken community ever since her mother, Joan, opened the establishment back in 1956. Joan was the first grand marshal of the parade, as well as a founding member of the parade committee.
“We are very proud of this year’s honorees, whose families have provided over 150 years of combined service to our community,” said Helen Cunning, founder of the parade.
In addition to honoring Marie and the Wall legacy, Sgt. Thomas Kennedy Jr. of the Hoboken Police Department was named Irishman of the Year, and Edward “Roy” Huelbig will receive the Committee’s Community Service Award.
In Hoboken, the St. Patrick’s Day Parade lures partiers from across the state, particularly since the parade is held early in the month so that it won’t compete with other cities’ parades for bands. Thus, it is one of the only public celebrations in the area on that Saturday.
Bars open early in the day, and revelers fill the streets. Consequently, Hoboken’s finest will be on patrol all day long, with 90 percent of the force on duty that day.
According to Public Safety Director Bill Bergen, excessive drinking has become a problem on parade days in recent years, leading to overcrowded establishments, disorderly conduct, fights, and injuries from slips and falls.
“People are going to be lined up at 8 a.m. [at the bars],” said Bergen, “especially along First Street, where there are plenty of Irish bars. They’ll be here bright and early.”
To combat the problem, the town will again issue tickets for people who walk outside with an open container of alcohol. At the discretion of the judge, the fine may carry a $1,000 penalty, as it sometimes did last year.
“Drinking in public was getting out of hand,” Bergen said. “There used to be people on the rooftops, sometimes 50 or more people on a single balcony.”
According to Bergen, the tickets have steadily decreased since the now-infamous crackdown two years ago.
“Two years ago, we issued 500 tickets,” Bergen said. “Then, last year that number was reduced to 170. So, the message is definitely getting across. We hope to have zero this year
Sean Allocca can be reached at seana@hudsonreporter.com.