GOSHEN N.Y—The annual Mid-Hudson St. Patrick’s Parade was back in Goshen on Mar. 12 for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, drawing a crowd of thousands.
Thomas McCarthy, this year’s grand marshal, told The Epoch Times that he was thankful for the warm weather and the honor of leading the parade down the streets.
“When I think of the people before me that were on the list of grand marshals, what a bunch of great people I am with,” McCarthy said. “This is almost like a baseball player making the hall of fame.”
McCarthy, a Monroe resident, has contributed to a long list of civic projects over the years, including helping create a fire company in Blooming Grove, serving as the transportation and logistics coordinator for Sonshine Boutique, and running several local food banks.
He said the Irish spirit is about giving a hand to the needy and being proud of one’s roots.
Kevin Strommer, president of the Mid-Hudson St. Patrick Parade Committee that hosts the annual event, told The Epoch Times that it was great to be back in Goshen.
“Goshen is the hub of Orange County, the capital of Orange County,” Strommer said. “We have the assistance of mayor Scott Wohl, and deputy mayor Molly O’Donnell was instrumental in getting the parade to take place back here, where we feel it belongs.”
The parade was hosted in Goshen for several years before the pandemic and then went to the village of Greenwood Lake for two years before it returned this March.
Over its 46 years of history, it also went to Middletown, Monroe, Chester, Cornwall, and Highland Falls.
Rory Brady, a Goshen attorney and former town justice, welcomed the return of the parade.
“It is great to have it back because, to me, this is Goshen. It is the county seat and the heart of this county,” Brady told The Epoch Times.
About 30 local organizations and school groups joined the parade, plus more than a dozen bands, including parade regular the Middletown High School “Marching Middies.”
Guy Johanson, director of the band, told The Epoch Times that he and the students were happy to be back in the parade after the hiatus due to the pandemic.
“We worked tirelessly with our rehearsals and put in a lot of extra time—the kids really love to perform,” Johanson said, adding that the parade has the most receptive crowd among all those the band attends.
The parade also featured first-time participants, such as the Falun Gong Club of Orange County.
Local followers of the Falun Dafa spiritual practice performed lion dances, played traditional drums, and demonstrated gentle and slow-moving exercises.
“The parade organizers were successful in bringing together different community groups and attracting so many onlookers,” Falun Gong Club of Orange County president Liam O'Neill told The Epoch Times. “We are thankful for the opportunity to participate and look forward to attending next year.”
Tommy Dash, a Goshen resident, invited a large group of family members and friends to watch the parade in front of his house.
“We got some green beard, green beer, and we are having a lot of fun,” Dash told The Epoch Times. “It is nice to be able to have everybody together as COVID is finally calming down.”
Kyle Smith, a resident from nearby Chester, echoed the sentiment.
“This is the first year it is back in Goshen since COVID, and it is just a good time to be out and start doing things that we used to do,” Smith said.
