Hamilton Township St. Patrick's Day Parade Set For Saturday

HAMILTON TOWNSHIP, NJ — With all the bad weather out of the way for the foreseeable future, Hamilton Township is moving ahead with its St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

The parade steps off on Saturday, March 18, one day after St. Patrick’s Day, 1 p.m., beginning at the Nottingham Fire House, 200 Mercer Street.

The parade is typically held the Saturday before St. Patrick’s Day, but was postponed one week due to weather.

Criminal justice and homeland security expert Tom O’Reilly is this year’s Grand Marshal. The 67-year-old longtime Hamilton Township resident currently serves as director of the Police Institute at the Rutgers School of Criminal Justice. He previously worked at the U.S. Department of Justice as a senior policy advisor and as director of a key counterterrorism collaborative known as the Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting Initiative.

Nottingham High School senior Shannon McLaughlin has been named this year’s Miss St. Patrick. The proud daughter of Jamine and Denis McLaughlin plays field hockey, ice hockey and lacrosse, and is in the National Honor Society, National Art Honor Society, and National Science Honor Society. Outside of school, she volunteers with the Hibernian fish fry. When she was younger her mom and her sponsored walks raised money for the March of Dimes. Shannon was a part of DeNogla Irish dance school for 13 years, even earning a regional placement.

The parade was established by four local Irish tavern owners in 1985. Over time, the St. Patrick's Day Parade at Hamilton has earned the reputation for being a finely orchestrated, precision production.

The Parade budget, including scholarships, is well in excess of $50,000. Funds are raised in part by active paticipation of committee members at various functions throughout the year, including festivals, bus trips and its souvenir journal. The committee also raises money through their annual fund-raiser, private contributions and band sponsorship.

For more on the parade, visit hamiltonparade.com.

Patch file photo