St. Patrick’s Day Parade Returns To The Sound Shore After 2 Years

MAMARONECK, NY — After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Sound Shore St. Patrick’s Day Parade is back and organizers are making up for lost time.

This year’s parade will take place on Sunday, March 20, in Mamaroneck. Hundreds of musicians, Irish dancers, scout troops, firemen, politicians, school groups, and community organizations are expected to march down Mamaroneck Avenue, beginning at 1:30 p.m.

The parade route begins at Mamaroneck Avenue School and ends at Harbor Island Park off Boston Post Road. Community groups from Port Chester to Pelham are welcome to participate.

This year’s events will be led by co-grand marshals Kate Bialo and Joe Durney. Bialo and Durney were originally slated to serve separately as the 2020 and 2021 grand marshals, but given the unprecedented circumstances, the two decided to combine efforts for the parade’s return this year.

“I am delighted that the deferred parades have given me the honor and privilege of serving as Co-Grand Marshal with Dr. Joe Durney, and we are all looking forward to our great community celebration on Sunday, March 20th,” Bialo said.

This generous and collaborative decision is not surprising, given the grand marshals’ community-focused work. Bialo is known for founding the Furniture Sharehouse, Westchester’s Furniture Bank, in 2007, and serving as its volunteer Executive Director from inception. She has received an impressive roll call of awards in recognition of her work there, including United Way of Westchester & Putnam’s 2010 Dorothy Allen Community Service Award; Larchmont-Mamaroneck Tri-Municipal Human Rights Commission Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Award (2011); L’Oreal 2012 Woman of Worth Award; and 2015 Leadership Westchester Alumna of the Year.

Under Bialo's leadership, Furniture Sharehouse has also received honors from The New York Yankees (HOPE Week 2019).

Durney is a co-founder of STEER for Student Athletes. He has more than 35 years of experience in the field of education and nonprofit leadership, recently retiring as Deputy Superintendent of Schools for the Port Chester-Rye Union Free School District in New York. Durney has served as a teacher, coach, school supervisor and school district administrator. He is an Adjunct Professor at Manhattanville College in the Graduate School of Education, teaching in the Educational Leadership Program.

Organizers say the focus of the Sound Shore St. Patrick’s Day Parade is to promote Irish heritage and the American immigrant experience. Even more important is the parade’s commitment to education. The organization has given $42,500 in college scholarships to date.

"Even though we could not hold the parades in 2020 and 2021, we still awarded five scholarships in those two years, including our new American Immigrant Experience Scholarship established by our Marshal Mhór Circle of past grand marshals, to honor and recognize the contributions and experiences of Sound Shore immigrants from all countries," Bialo said. “We are very proud to have been able to award those scholarships in spite of the pandemic.”

The Marshal Mhór Circle will march in the parade as a group directly behind the grand marshals and will be denoted by a special banner and sashes. The parameters for qualifying for the Marshal Mhór Circle scholarship have been broadened to reflect the American immigrant experience in Westchester for deserving high school seniors of all heritages.

“I’m so grateful that we will have the parade this year,” Durney said. “If anything, the last two years have taught is that we can never take this wonderful event for granted. We are so fortunate to have this opportunity to celebrate Irish Heritage and the immigrant experience again in 2022. I hope everyone in the Sound Shore area will come out to join the celebration!”

The next fundraiser to finance the parades and scholarships is scheduled to take place on March 3. The Hearts and Shamrocks Cocktail Party is from 7 p.m. to 10p.m. at Hampshire Country Club in Mamaroneck. In addition to music, Irish dancers and raffles, the highlight of the event will include the sash presentation ceremony. Tickets are $100 and can be purchased at the Shamrocks Cocktail Party website.

Members of an organization that interested in marching can email rsvp@soundshoreparade.com for more information about joining in the fun.