Farmingdale St. Patrick's Day Parade; Human Shamrock Canceled

FARMINGDALE, NY — Two Farmingdale St. Patrick's Day events scheduled for this weekend were canceled due to concerns about the spread of the new coronavirus.

The 8th annual Farmingdale Village St. Patrick's Day Parade, scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday, as well as an event where Dalers would have tried to set a new Guinness World Record for creating the largest human shamrock at 3 p.m. Saturday were called off.

Farmingdale Village Mayor Ralph Ekstrand made the decision to pull the plug on the events. The parade will not be rescheduled this year.

"After consulting with the local Board of Health and Nassau County Executive Laura Curran, we are going by their recommendation and adhering to safety first," the village of Farmingdale said in a statement. "Containment of the virus is of utmost importance, preventing the spread of the virus will save lives. The public health and safety of everyone in the community from youths to senior citizens is of the utmost importance."

The human shamrock event was organized by The Nutty Irishman and 317 Main Street, two eateries on Farmingdale's Main Street. It was supposed to double as a fundraiser for St. Baldrick's Foundation, a not-for-profit with the goal of raising money to help find cures for children with cancer. Dalers would have gathered at the Howitt Middle School Football Field in a bid to smash the record.

People can still donate to the foundation on behalf of The Nutty Irishman here.

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Large gatherings of more than 500 people have been banned statewide, as New York has 328 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of Thursday afternoon, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced. St. Patrick's Day parades across Long Island are being postponed and/or canceled, including all of them in Suffolk County.

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