Rockland St. Patrick's Day Parade Ready to March

Rockland County St. Patrick's Day Parade organizing committee co-chair William Lee knows the planning for the event continues up to the last minute.

He cited the example of groups expeted to march that do not show up, causing last-minute adjustments to the order of the parade and the list the announcers use. 

"You try to get the announcers the (updated) list," Lee said. "It's a lot of little things. For the committee, once it starts, from that point on, it's in the hands of the Orangetown Police, who do a phoenomenal job every year with the parade.

"Every year, somehow as soon as it starts to move, everybody falls in line. You stress over it and it just happens."

It will happen once again today when the 51st Annual Rockland County St. Patrick's Day Parade leaves the Pfizer parking lot at 1:30 p.m.

"When we turn off Crooked Hill Road onto Middletown, people are not off the street yet," Lee said. "There is no bell or alarm. They turn around and get out of the way. It's a sea of people. The rest of the parade doesn't get to see it."

Lee once again praised the Orangetown Police Department for its work in helping to create a safe environment with the large crowd.

"We cannot thank them enough," Lee said. "We have 70,000 or 80,000 people come into town with families and kids and year after year, we hear the same story. It was so much fun. It was great."

Not every parade brings that type of environment. Hoboken's St. Patrick's Day Parade, which was cancelled by its organizers for the second consecutive year because Mayor Dawn Zimmer insisted it be moved to Wednesday night to avoid the alcohol-related incidents of past events. According to the Jersey Journal, there were 34 arrests and 136 ambulance calls the last year of the parade in Hoboken, 2011. 

"I can tell you from personal experience, when my amily went to Hoboken, we did not feel safe," Lee said. "In Orangetown, it is dealt with.

"From a security standpoint, our concern is exactly what happened in Hoboken. People showing up and thinking it's a free for all."

Lee said the committee didn't plan anything special because the Rockland County Parade falls on St. Patrick's Day this year, though he said that could boost the crowd.

"It's great to have it on the day," Lee said. "A lot of people take into consideration that we have a great parade. We have a good reputation for families and being a community that welcomes people into town.(We get a big crowd) for those reasons, our reputation, our security and our overall event.

"What we try to say is this is what the parade should be. We feel you are going to get a great experience coming to our parade. Year after year, we hear that it is."