Community Corner

Officials Expect Irish Eyes to Smile Upon Parade This Year

After heavy rain and wind forced postponement of St. Patrick's Day Parade last year, some anticipate crowds this year to be biggest yet.

William "Willie" Quinn, a member of the Rory O'Moore Band, knew trouble was brewing in the sky last year as the annual Morris County St. Patrick's Day Parade was about to begin marching at exactly noon, as it does every year.

Quinn, who is this year's Grand Marshal for the event, said it would be an absolutely last minute decision to cancel the parade.

"I was lined up with my band when we got called into the Town Hall and found out at that stage they were going to cancel," he said in his noticeable Irish accent. "By the time I had made it back out to the band, they had marched halfway up the street.

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"We knew we could march in the rain," Quinn said. "But, the wind was too severe that it caused a public safety issue."

With partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the low 50s predicted for Saturday, Quinn said he is optimistic that this year's parade will go off without a hitch. "It looks like everything is going to go smoothly."

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Mayor Timothy Dougherty called last year's situation "an act of God," calling the decision to cancel "a tough call. But, safety comes first.

"You can't predict the weather," he said. "We hope Irish eyes are smiling upon us this year."

When the parade was canceled at the last minute, a hastily scheduled raindate brought significantly fewer people to an event that on average has seen 50,000 people descend upon Morristown.

Considering this year's parade, for many, would be their first in two years, Quinn said the amount of people might leave no question as to whether or not Morris County's St. Patrick's Day parade is the largest in all of New Jersey.

"We've had upwards of 70 to 80,000 people," he said. "I am hoping we are going to top 80,000 ... if we top 80,000, it would be undisputedly the largest parade in New Jersey."

With large crowds, however, can come large problems. Morristown Police Chief Peter Demnitz said that, after nearly two decades of the parade being held in Morristown, the department is ready for whatever challenges the day brings.

In addition to all Morristown police being required to work on parade day, the town also gets assistance from around the county, Demnitz said.

The chief said much of the day's troubles do not happen at the parade, which is a dry event, but in places where alcohol is consumed. "We deploy personnel at all the busiest bars," he said. "We have the capabilities for efficient arresting and processing."

The police department works in conjunction with Morristown Memorial Hospital during the day, Demnitz said, and extra ambulances are on-hand in case the need arises.

In addition to Morristown's parade history, Demnitz has remained in touch with officials in Hoboken, which had its parade last weekend, to "keep an eye on what's going on there and use as intel," he said. This year, he said he was concerned that officials in Hoboken said in the newspaper that they had lost control of the situation on their parade day.

"We are planning for any eventuality," Demnitz said. "I think we handle it pretty effectively."

Quinn, too, is confident in the day's success. "There's always a danger of some people (not behaving)," he said. "It's not necesarily people who come to see the parade.

"We don't really want those people to come to town," Quinn said. "The parade is a non-alcolholic event. Marshals are out to the stop that, police too. We don't want trouble. This is to show off Irish culture and demonstrate what the Irish have done to build this great country."

Held since 1979, Quinn said the committee is ready for the 2011 parade. "It's always the new stuff you worry about," he said. "But, we've done it so many years. It's all in place and looking like the weather is going to cooperate and it's going to be a fantastic day."


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