Monday, July 14, 2025
The annual Rockville Centre St. Patrick’s Day Parade — deemed “the parade that cares and shares” — was a resounding success this year, with perfect weather and overwhelming community support.
Suzanne Murphy Sullivan, this year’s Grand Marshal, shared her gratitude for the event, saying that the Grand Marshal dinner in her honor on March 20 was an excellent way to kick off the weekend.
“A lot of work goes into planning it, and the committee did an amazing job,” she said.
Ashley Brennan, a member of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee, was happy with the turnout at the dinner.
“I think everyone there was so supportive of Suzanne and so excited for her,” she said. “The whole night was just incredible.”
The March 22 parade featured a vibrant display of local businesses, residents and organizations that celebrated the day by either walking or lining up on the sidewalks in support. Three special charities participated as the honored nonprofit organizations for this year’s parade — SIBSPlace, the Remember Nolan Project and the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust.
The families from each of the charities, Sullivan said, have been heavily involved in the parade preparation and festivities all year long. The funds raised during the preliminary events, along with the money from parade sponsors, will be evenly split among the three charities as a way for the community to support them.
“Every year the parade chooses three amazing charities, and this year they were really outstanding,” Sullivan Said. “These charities were amazing, and they really got into it and really enjoyed the whole experience. That was incredible to see.”
Sullivan also highlighted how special the day was for her and the extraordinary involvement of the community, including her own family and her late husband’s family. She was appreciative to have her mom, children and four of her closest friends walking beside her, and to have her brothers and their families and her late husband’s family members there to support her and cheer her on.
“It was really nice walking down Maple Avenue just seeing so many familiar faces,” she said, “having my kids and friends march with us, seeing people I’ve known all my life and people I’ve just met recently. It was overwhelming, but it was just a fantastic day.”
Brennan echoed Sullivan’s sentiments, appreciating the participation of all the charities.
“It is rare that we have all the charities there marching,” she said, “so that was nice that all three of our charities could be there.”
The weather was also beautiful, with Brennan saying that the sunny day had people in “great spirits.” She also commended the volunteer support that made the event possible, particularly given the heavy demands of parade day.
The awards dinner in May will reveal the total amount raised from the festivities that will be split among the charities, and it will also recognize some of the parade’s particularly special participants in various categories, including Best in Parade, Best Youth Group, Best Pipe Band and Best Fire Department.
Looking ahead, the committee will begin preparing for next year’s event in the coming months, with a kickoff event slated for September. In the meantime, the spirit of the parade remains alive, as the community celebrates another successful year of bringing people together.
