Michael Bradley with his battle plan
Many of us have only just dragged the Christmas tree out to the curb, but the folks who stage the Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day Parade are already focusing on March.
The Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day Observance Association met Thursday at the Double Tree in Center City to lay out their plans for the 2012 edition of one of the city’s most colorful spectacles.
This year’s parade kicks off at noon on Sunday, March 11. It’s a later start than in previous years—an effort to make it easier for marchers to participate, says parade director Michael Bradley. The parade will still be televised—possibly on CBS3, but more likely on sister station, the CW Philly 57—from 1 to 4.
The start time of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade Mass is also different: 9:30, a half-hour later than before. The Mass is celebrated at St. Patrick’s Church, off Rittenhouse Square.
It’s too early to know for sure how many groups will march this year, Bradley says, but about 200 is likely—from St. Patrick at the beginning to the Guinness truck at the end.
One other important change: the pre-parade luncheon is now a dinner. In previous years, parade officials and guests have attended a weekday ceremony at City Hall in late morning, followed by a luncheon at the Double Tree shortly afterward. For a lot of people, association president Kathy McGee Burns says, this was an inconvenience. “For many people, it was hard to come at midday and take a day off from work.” This year’s mayoral proclamation will take place at City Hall at 4 p.m., followed by a cocktail hour and dinner at the Double Tree.
As at the previous years’ luncheon, the grand marshal—this year it’s IBEW Local 98 Business Manager John J. Dougherty—will receive his sash, as will members of the Ring of Honor.
McGee Burns announced the 2012 Ring of Honor members:
- Melissa Martin, Philadelphia Emerald Society 2011 Police Officer of the Year (she took part in the attempted rescue of a motorist whose car drove into the Schuylkill River)
- Joseph T. Kelley, Jr., president of the Brehon Law Society (an association of Irish-American attorneys)
- Gaelic football official Tom Higgins
- William Watson, Ph.D., Immaculata University, historian and keeper of Duffy’s Cut (a stretch of tracks in Malvern where, in 1832, several dozen Irish rail workers died under suspicious circumstances)
- Irish fund-raiser Tommy O’Leary
- Well-known Irish musician and publican Gerry Timlin
