NORTHAMPTON — The first signs of green this spring were seen Monday at the Hotel Northampton for the annual Northampton St. Patrick’s Association’s Breakfast, where green sweaters, scarves, and shamrocks dominated ahead of next weekend’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade festivities in Holyoke.

But the traditionally gleeful breakfast, with its Irish-style wit and ribbing, this year also featured moments with a more somber mood as the sold-out roomful of more than 200 breakfasters, there to celebrate their immigrant heritage, were reminded of threats facing immigrants in 2025.

The morning began with a prayer by the Rev. Francis Reilly of St. Jerome in Holyoke, who invoked God’s blessing on immigrants, legal and illegal. Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan later picked up the theme in his short address during a post-breakfast craic — an Irish word for “a good time.”

“Today, there are dangerous voices coming from powerful positions,” Sullivan said as the hotel’s ballroom fell silent. “As we decide how to respond to such voices, I simply ask that we remember where we came from,” he added, as attendees erupted in support.

Sullivan quoted Martin Luther King Jr., who said, “We may have come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.” And encouraging those present, he said, “Let’s remember to make our personal journeys one of courage, compassion and love.”

Sullivan assured all those present he wasn’t making a political statement. Rather, he said he was simply “calling out the clown car.”

The district attorney was one of a handful of Hampshire County dignitaries attending the breakfast, including Democratic state Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa and county Clerk of the Courts Dan Carey, as well as Koby Gardner-Levine, who stood in for U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern. Northampton Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra led the room in a toast following breakfast.

And the atmosphere was not all serious.

Per tradition, a slew of awards and recognitions were presented over breakfast in anticipation of Saturday’s Road Race, followed by the 72nd St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Sunday, both in Holyoke.

Linda Bushey was named this year’s Brennan Award winner. She serves as the St. Patrick’s Association’s treasurer, works full time for Florence Bank, and is a volunteer for the Three County Fair. Bushey is “one of those dedicated people who believes in all work, no play,” said Brian Joyce, who moderated awards and dished out jokes at the breakfast.

Jay Czelusniak of Czelusniak Funeral Home was awarded the Patricia and Mike Ahearn Civic Award. He shared one of the uplifting messages of the day, and thanked his mother for teaching him that, “If you’re lucky enough, give back.”

And Gloria Parker, the longest continuous member of the St. Patrick’s Day Committee, was given the Tess Collins Ambassador Award.

The baton of the Northampton parade marshal for 2025 was also handed off to Brian O’Connor.

O’Connor was lauded for his community service, and Sabadosa commended him for his “Irish punctuality.”

He was also praised for his humor while on the job as a security guard at Thornes Marketplace.

Joyce told the story of a customer walking in, who asked O’Connor for some help picking a gift for this customer’s “wealthy old great uncle, who’s very weak and can hardly walk.”

According to Joyce, at that moment O’Connor’s “Irish humor” kicked in and he responded: “floor wax.”

And not even Sullivan himself was all serious.

In the spirit of the day, Sullivan pulled out a Catholic joke as he took the podium, singling out 2024 parade marshal Ken O’Brien, who’s been plagued by a series of misfortunes since wielding the baton, to go to confession. He also lobbied Sciarra for a gold shamrock to be fit into the $26 million budget for the city’s downtown Main Street overhaul. “Don’t forget it’s an election year,” he jokingly reminded her as he pitched the shamrock.

Sciarra, who is a quarter Irish and born on St. Patrick’s Day, was the recipient of more than a few jokes, and that wasn’t the only one that had to do with the Main Street redesign.

“I thought I could talk about potholes, but as you all know I’ve spoken of them yearly, to no avail. I thought of saying that we are cultivating them here, and if we could only sell them, we could make a fortune and maybe get rid of the rain tax,” said Joyce to a laughing room.

Joyce related how anxious he’s been and the sleep he’s lost over trying to find a way to make the Main Street redesign into a joke for Monday’s breakfast.

“It came to me that I should not get worried about this or have lost all that sleep,” he said, addressing the mayor. “Because as a citizen of the great city of Northampton, I knew you wouldn’t be listening to me anyway,” he said, with the room responding in laughter.

Joyce also had some “retirement advice” for Patrick J. Cahillane, Hampshire County’s sheriff who was also in attendance. Joyce told the room that Cahillane would have made a better career choice by robbing a bank. Cahillane would have not only been richer, he joked, but the sheriff would also have spent less time in jail, about a 25-year sentence, if he had only robbed a bank — instead of spending 45 years in law enforcement and in jails, and only now coming up on retirement.

The breakfast kick-starts a list of other St. Patrick’s Day events put on by the association both this coming weekend and throughout the year.

On Sunday, March 23 beginning at 8 a.m., a parade gathering will take place at JJ’s Tavern in Florence. Following the parade, which begins at 11:45 a.m., a post-parade party will also be held at JJ’s, beginning at 3 p.m.

Samuel Gelinas can be reached at sgelinas@gazettenet.com.