Woodbridge – The American Irish Association of Woodbridge will sponsor the 44th Annual Woodbridge St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Celebration scheduled to get underway on Sun., March 12 at 9:00 AM with the presentation of Proclamations to the St. Patrick’s Day honorees - the Proclamation Ceremony will take place at Woodbridge Middle School (Auditorium Theatre), 525 Barron Avenue. The raising of the National Flag of Ireland will follow the Proclamation Ceremony at Woodbridge Town Hall Flag Pole (1 Main Street).
“The annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration allows us the opportunity to come together as a community to honor and recognize the heritage, culture and contributions of our Irish forefathers who participated in the early settlement and later development of Woodbridge Township,” said Mayor John E. McCormac. “As Mayor, I am honored to represent the Township of Woodbridge and the American Irish Association as we salute our Irish-American residents and neighbors with the pomp and circumstance of the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade and celebration.”
Mayor McCormac noted that the festivities get underway at 9:00 AM at the Theatre at Woodbridge Middle School with the Administration, Municipal Council and elected officials recognizing the St. Patrick’s Day Parade honorees and members of the Irish-American community of Woodbridge with the reading of Proclamations and the symbolic raising of the national flag of Ireland. The Woodbridge St. Patrick’s Day parade – the largest St. Patrick’s Day parade and festival in Central New Jersey – steps-off at 1:30 PM from Woodbridge High School, moves to Freeman Street, onto Linden Avenue, to Amboy Ave. (Route 35) to Main Street, concluding in front of Town Hall. More than 80 marching units, including traditional Irish Pipe Bands and Step Dancers, Irish-themed parade floats and displays, marching bands representing all three Woodbridge Township high schools, representatives from Township fire departments, first aid and emergency response squads, and members of the Woodbridge Township education community, scouting organizations and civic, sports and neighborhood associations and groups will participate in the 44th Annual parade.
This year, the American Irish Association honors Assemblyman Craig Coughlin as Grand Marshall of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade; Kenneth Michael Egan as Irish-Man-Of-The-Year, Barbara Thompson as Irish-Woman-Of-The-Year; Brianne Carey-Dowd as Ms. American Irish; and Julia Sinatra as the Irish-Lady-In-Waiting.
Mayor McCormac noted that whether you march in the parade with your favorite organization or enjoy the festivities along the parade route, every Woodbridge Township resident and visitor is “Irish-for-the-Day” – perhaps the most important part of the parade and day-long ceremonies. And, as you enjoy the day and the parade, please patronize the advertisers and local merchants whose support is instrumental in providing the funding necessary to make this annual parade and ceremony the success it has become year-in and year-out.
