A celebration of Irish heritage at 16th annual parade in Rockville Centre

Shamrocks lined Maple Avenue as residents of Rockville Centre and surrounding communities gathered to watch the village’s 16th St. Patrick’s Parade.

The pleasant weather brought an estimated 9,000 spectators out to see the parade’s first female grand marshal, Kathleen Alcock, lead the marchers from Long Beach Road to Village Hall in support of the parade’s three sponsored charities: the Association for Children with Down Syndrome, Educated Canines Assisting with Disabilities and the Ronald McDonald House of Long Island.

Before the parade began, parents and children tossed footballs and baseballs, drew on the sidewalk with chalk or just sat in their folding chairs, enjoying the sun.

Irish flags hung from houses along the parade route, and green was the clothing color of choice. Even strollers and dogs were decked out in green beads and collars.

There was a wide variety of merchandise for sale at stands set up by the parade committee, including T-shirts emblazoned with the logos of village pubs.

The parade was led by veterans, firefighters and, of course, the contingent from Kathleen’s of Donegal, Alcock’s Irish-themed gift shop, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary in Rockville Centre this month.

The traditional bagpipers, out in full force, were a favorite of 9-year-old resident Cole Birk, who enjoyed the shock and surprise of the “huge noise” the bagpipes made as they began to play. Cole’s 5-year-old sister, Keira, said she was a fan of the horses, while their mother, Britt Birk, added that she simply enjoys the camaraderie of the parade.

“We moved from Manhattan nine years ago, and while this parade is less in scale, it’s a good community day,” Britt said. “Being out with everyone, it’s great, and we lucked out with the [weather]. Everyone’s Irish today.”

As the various fire departments, sports teams and organizations marched along the parade route, the crowd applauded. The New York Jets Flight Crew elicited chants of “Tebow!” and Sen. Charles Schumer led some cheers of his own with a bullhorn.

A total of 118 groups marched in the parade, according to the event’s president, Sean O’Rourke, and they ranged in size from a couple of people to 150 marchers.

“I think it went fantastic this year,” O’Rourke said. “Of course the weather helped us and it was a great day to be part of the community.”

According to Police Commissioner Charles Gennario, the day was, for the most part, an orderly success for the village, with the congeniality extending into the evening. Gennario said there were fewer disturbances than in previous years.

Mayor Francis Murray said he felt the parade went off without a hitch. “It’s one of the biggest parades we’ve ever had,” he said. “It’s been wonderful. We’ve had a great day.”

Visit www.liherald.com for an array of colorful scenes from the parade.