By DUSTY CHRISTENSEN
HOLYOKE — For Tim Nelson, this time of year is a homecoming celebration.
The Amherst fire chief served for almost three decades as a firefighter in Holyoke, so it was no surprise to see him back in town for this year’s St. Patrick’s Parade.
“The parade is when folks who have been away come home,” he said flashing a big smile. “I get psyched to come back home for the parade.”
And Nelson didn’t come alone. He said when he arrived in Amherst in 2010, the department hadn’t been coming to the Holyoke parade. So from 2011 on, Nelson has made sure there is an Amherst contingent present. He said he often finds himself bouncing around on parade day, chatting with colleagues past and present.
“I have had two of the best families in the world,” Nelson said.
That familial sentiment was in the air Sunday as revelers gathered for the 98th annual parade. First established in 1952, the city’s St. Patrick’s Parade draws hundreds of thousands from across the region. As one of the country’s biggest parades in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, the event continues to be a must-see for many in the city and across the region.
On Sunday, the parking lot at the start of the parade was teeming with people gearing up for the beginning of the event — everyone from high school band members to Springfield police officers who could be seen drinking jello shots and beer.
Along the route, the crowd of paradegoers cheered and danced as marching bands, politicians, community groups and their floats passed by.
“There’s definitely a larger group of people from Northampton this year,” said Shauneen Kocott, who was waiting for the parade to start together with Northampton Mayor David Narkewicz.
The 2019 James Brennan Award winner, Lorraine Weimann, was moving through the crowd of those gathered, celebrating with her family.
The award is given out yearly by the Northampton St. Patrick’s Association to a dedicated member of the organization.
“It just means a lot,” she said of marching in the parade as the Brennan Award winner.
Elected officials were in no short supply, with each wearing a sash with their title as they walked by, waving to those on either side of the street. There were city councilors, school committee members, mayors and everyone in between.
“It’s an absolute honor,” state Rep. Daniel Carey, D-Easthampton, said of marching in the parade. He has previously marched with the Easthampton contingent, but being elected to the Legislature he decided this year to march with the group from South Hadley, which he now represents.
There was also U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield, and U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, whom the crowd recognized for a key legislative proposal that fit the day’s color scheme.
“This guy just yelled, ‘Green New Deal,’” Markey told the Gazette with a smile, referring to the amitious plan he recently introduced with New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to combat climate change. Markey will hold a town hall event next Sunday at Northampton High School to speak about that very proposal.
Some of the area’s high schools participated in the parade, as usual. Perhaps the most eleborate local float was made by students at Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School, who designed a forestry and horticulture scene complete with a log cabin and a goat.
“It’s a community effort for them,” said Michael T. Cahillane, chairman of the school’s board of trustees. “They are so proud.”
Dusty Christensen can be reached at dchristensen@gazettenet.com.