HOLYOKE — When former mayor Alex Morse announced the cancellation of the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Parade on March 10, 2020, the stunning news was one of the first signs locally of the coronavirus-related cancellations and shutdowns that were soon to follow.
“It would be irresponsible of us to carry on with these events as scheduled,” Morse said that day, nearly two weeks before Gov. Charlie Baker would announce the shutdown of all non-essential businesses.
Two years later, the St. Patrick’s Committee of Holyoke announced this week that the parade will resume for the first time in the era of COVID-19. Abigail Scanlon, a spokesperson for the committee, said that the parade organizers were elated at the event’s return after a two-year hiatus, marking the 69th year of an event that typically draws hundreds of thousands of people to the city.
“I think we were all just heartbroken for the first time in over 50 years that we had to postpone a parade, and to have to do it two years in a row was devastating,” Scanlon said. Now that the parade is returning, she said, “the excitement on the committee is just growing and growing.”
The parade will take place on Sunday, March 20. The parade will step-off from the former KMart Plaza at around 11:10 a.m, and WWLP-22News will be airing coverage beginning at noon. The 45th St. Patrick’s Road Race will be held on Saturday, March 19.
Many local businesses in Holyoke have relied on the parade and road race to bring customers and revenue. For some, the weekend represents a large chunk of their yearly revenue. A decade ago, the UMass Donahue Institute published a report that estimated that the parade brought $20 million in economic activity to the city.
The St. Patrick’s Committee of Holyoke has kept the same award recipients as those who were named in 2020, given that no parade was held that year. A gala celebrating the winners will be held at The Log Cabin on Saturday, Feb. 7 at 5 p.m. Tickets are $50 and can be purchased by contacting Stephanie Joyce at stephaniejoyce82@gmail.com.
More information about the parade can be found online at holyokestpatricksparade.com.
Dusty Christensen can be reached at dchristensen@gazettenet.com.