Strike up the band: St. Patrick’s parade is a Morris County symphony

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See the 2012 Line of March at the bottom of this story.

By Robyn Quinn

Coming down South Street in Morristown on March 10 will be thousands of people celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. There will be colorful costumes, music playing, banners swaying, balloons in the air, horses prancing, and children smiling. The town will be draped in green! As all of this floats down the street, it reminds me of a symphony.

A symphony is a classical piece of music made up of three or four parts. It is elaborate music played by an orchestra. The orchestra is guided by its conductor. When it all comes together it’s magic.

Photos by Al DeBenedictis. Please click icon below for captions.

The Morris County St. Patrick’s Parade is our symphony. It is an elegant creation that is performed by our orchestra. Our orchestra is the many diverse groups that march in the parade.

There are Irish step dance schools in their traditional costumes; the bagpipe and drum bands wearing their kilts playing their powerful tunes; Roller Derby ladies skating down the road; floats decorated with all the colors of Ireland; a stage coach being pulled by four strapping horses; and the thousands of people in the organizations that march.

A symphony has four parts, our parade has four divisions. The orchestra is a group of different types of instruments that sound nice when played on their own, but when they all come together they make a magnificent noise. Our orchestra is 125 organizations and bands. Each organization and band is interesting by itself, but when you put them altogether and see them march down South Street they make a glorious tune.

Members of Morris County St. Patrick Parade Committee include: Chip Leiher, Al DeBenedictis, Ernie Miltner, Erin Reeve, Pat Fahy. Photo courtesy of Al DeBenedictis
Members of Morris County St. Patrick Parade Committee include: Chip Leiher, Al DeBenedictis, Ernie Miltner, Erin Reeve, Pat Fahy. Photo courtesy of Al DeBenedictis

The conductor of the orchestra brings all the musicians together as one voice. Before the performance begins, each musician is tuning up his or her instrument. They are concerned about their individual pieces in the symphony. When the conductor walks out onto the stage and taps his baton, all become silent. As the conductor’s arms begin to sway backwards and forth, you do not hear all the different instruments, there is only one unified sound.

The conductor of the parade’s orchestra for the past five years has been Patrick Fahy. Pat is a Line of March Coordinator, responsible for taking each individual group or band and bringing them all together as one unified parade.

The floats arrive at the parking lot on the day of the parade at 9 am. As the floats arrive they are placed in their position. Next the vehicles arrive at 10 am and are placed around the floats. The marchers are to be there by 11 am, they fill in any open space left in the parking lot. It is like those musicians before the performance, each concerned with their own part of the symphony. The beginning of our symphony is not the tapping of a baton, but the cutting of a ribbon by the Parade Starter to signal the performance has begun.

Pat brings the structured chaos of the parking lot into an outstanding performance. As each group sees the group ahead of it stepping out into the lineup, they join them and things begin to fall into place. The banner of St. Patrick glides down South Street as the first note of the parade symphony begins and all the different groups blend into one breathtaking parade.

Robyn Quinn serves on the parade committee and is involved with organizing the line of march. Each year a member of the Irish Community is selected to start the parade. This year’s parade starter is Michael (Micky) Doyle of the Doyle Funeral Home in Morristown. And don’t forget to wave hello to MorristownGreen.com, marching in Division Two on Saturday!

MORE ABOUT THE 2012 ST. PATRICK’S PARADE


THE 2012 LINE OF MARCH

GROUP NAME /  PLACE    

Division One – Munster    

Police Unity Tour    1

Parade Starter – Michael “Mickey” Doyle    2

VFW – Watnong Post #3401    3

Saint Patrick’s Banner    4

RORY O’MOORE PIPES & DRUMS    5

Grand Marshal    6

Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of Morris County    7

Welcome Home Veterans    8

Former Grand Marshal’s MC Saint Patrick’s Day Parade    9

CuCHULLAIN PIPE BAND OF MORRIS COUNTY    10

Irish American Association of Northwest Jersey    11

Peter Smith School of Irish Dance    12

TD Bank    13

County College of Morris    14

BERGEN POLICE PIPE BAND    15

Congressmen    16

State Senators and Assemblymen    17

Morris County Mayors    18

Morris County Freeholders    19

Morris County Town Council Members    20

GUARD PIPE BAND    21

St. Patrick’s Parade Comm. (other parades)    22

Lakeland Bank    23

Morristown Medical Center    24

MORRISTOWN HIGH SCHOOL BAND    25

Trend Motors    26

Morristown Financial    27

Peerless Beverage Co.    28

FUSION BAND    29

Wharton Fire Department    30

Provident Bank    31

Morristown National Historical Park    32

POLICE PIPES & DRUMS OF MORRIS COUNTY    33

Emerald Society of NJ, Chapter #3    34

Morris County Sheriff’s Office    35

Morristown Kiwanis Club    36

 


Division Two – Leinster        

American Legion – Denville    1

DENVILLE STRING BAND    2

Leadership Morris Chamber of Commerce    3

Morris County Prosecutor’s Office    4

Daily Record    5

COLONIAL MUSKETEERS FIFE & DRUM JR.    6

Ancient Order of Hibernians Morris County, Div 1    7

Edean Academy of Irish Dance    8

Vietnam Veteran’s Chapter #327    9

American Merchant Marine Veterans    10

ST. COLUM CILLE BAND    11

WDHA & WMTR    12

MorristownGreen.com    13

Well’s Fargo Home Mortgage    14

American Legion – Mine Hill Post 391    15

SOMERSET COUNTY POLICE PIPES AND DRUMS    16

Knights of Columbus Msgr. Sheerin Assembly    17

Morristown & Morris Township Library    18

Dublin Pub    19

Dubin on the Run    20

Molly Malone’s    21

Morristown Rotary Club    22

ORANGE HIGH SCHOOL BAND    23

Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey    24

American Red Cross of Northern New Jersey    25

South Jersey Dachshund Club    26

AMERICAN WELDRY BAND    27

Madison Hotel & Rod’s Ranch House    28

Woodland Hook & Ladder Co #1    29

Jefferson Twp Rescue Squad    30

Jefferson Fire Dept.    31

 


Division Three – Ulster 

American Legion – Frank Patterson Post 43    1

COLONIAL PIPERS BAGPIPE BAND    2

Morris Plains Rotary    3

The Seeing Eye Dogs    4

Wick Hegarty School of Irish Dance    5

Blackthorn Pub Rt. 46    6

Morris County 4-H Clubs    7

Cub Scouts & Boys Scouts    8

HARMONY BAND    9

Morristown Jr. Colonial Athletic Club    10

Dead End Kids    11

Whippany Fire    12

Rockaway Fire Dept.    13

Morris County Democratic Party    14

H & R Block of Morristown    15

Weichert Realtors of Morristown    16

Jerzey Derby Brigade    17

COLONIAL MUSKETEERS SENIOR FIFE & DRUM    18

Morristown Ambulance Squad    19

Tin Can Sailors Inc.    20

Morristown Fire Dept    21

New Vernon Fire Dept.    22

Cedar Knolls Fire Dept.    23

Morris Plains Volunteer Fire Dept    24

CLAN NA VALE BAND    25

Morris County Right to Life    26

Greyhound Friends of NJ    27

St. Virgil School Morris Catholic Jr. School    28

Rangers of Wild West City    29

 


Division Four – Connaught    

American Legion – Post 249 Parsippany    1

ESSEX SHELELEIGH PIPES AND DRUMS    2

Noah Ark    3

Sharon School of Dance    4

St. Patrick School    5

Morris Minute Men First Aid Squad    6

Denville Volunteer Fire Dept.    7

Budd Lake Fire Department    8

Harrington Construction Co    9

TRI COUNTY PIPE BAND    10

Market Street Mission    11

Parsippany Troy Hills Fire Association    12

Lake Hiawatha Fire Dept.    13

Morris County Voiture 228    14

Roxbury Fire Dept.    15

Roxbury Police Honor Guard    16

Morris County National Organization for Women (NOW)    17

PASSAIC COUNTY MARCHING BAND    18

Pancreatic Cancer Action Network in NJ    19

Native Dogs of Ireland – Stradbrook Kennels Inc.    20

Relay for Life    21

Greater Morris YMCA    22

Long Valley Auto Body t/a Delorean Entertainment    23

Morris County Youth Hockey League    24

Morris Rugby Corp.    25

MADISON HIGH SCHOOL    26

Morris County Saint Patrick’s Day Parade Comm.    27

1 COMMENT

  1. what a great day for the Irish……what a wonderful day for Morristown , we have the best Parade in the state……..the committee works hard all year to make the town smile……Chef Melody, I am proud to be a parade committee member since it came to Morristown……………………………..as Macy’s Herald Square would say,”lets have a Parade.”……………………………………………….

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