Everybody’s Irish on St. Patrick’s Day—or at least that’s the goal of the Robbinsville Irish Heritage Association, which will host its 7th St. Patrick’s Day Parade March 19.
This year, the parade features a new route. But the focus will remain the same: the people, teams, groups and businesses that make the Robbinsville community.
The day begins with 10 a.m. Mass at Saint Gregory the Great Roman Catholic church. The opening ceremony will begin at 12:15 p.m. at the Foxmoor Shopping Center, with the signing of The Star Spangled Banner and the Irish National Anthem. Dignitaries participating in the march will be introduced, as well as the parade’s Grand Marshall and Irish Person of the Year.
This year’s Grand Marshal is the people of Robbinsville BAPS mandir. The 2016 Irish Person of the Year is Michael Langford, one of the founders of the Robbinsville Lacrosse Association.
The parade will begin at 1 p.m. at the shopping center, before taking a left onto Washington Boulevard, then right on North Street, then right on Newtown Boulevard to the roundabout and a right on Lake Drive. The parade then will pass the lake on the right and take a left on George Street, then a left on Park Street, then a right on Newtown Boulevard, then a right on Burnet Crescent and a right on Union Street and past the reviewing stand at the intersection of Lake Drive. The route is approximately one-and one-quarter miles. It ends close to where it starts.
An afterparty will be held at St. Greg’s. The St. Greg’s parking lot or behind the buildings across the street from Foxmoor Shopping Center will be the best place to park, parade organizers said. Parade-goers should not park at Foxmoor Shopping Center.
The Robbinsville Irish Heritage Association is a volunteer organization designed to foster an understanding and appreciation of Irish cultural values through Irish cultural events and activities in the community. But you don’t have to be Irish to join.
For more information about the association and the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, visit robbinsvilleirish.org.
