By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
We went straight to the source himself to find out why the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Sea Isle City has been so successful during its 32-year history.
Resplendent in a shimmering green robe, ornate headdress and flowing white beard, St. Patrick joined with hundreds of parade marchers as the colorful procession rolled along Landis Avenue for 20 blocks on a sun-splashed Saturday afternoon.
“It’s the inclusiveness of the parade. Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day,” St. Patrick explained of the event’s huge popularity through the years.
Well, actually it would be a bunch of malarkey to suggest that the real St. Patrick was part of the parade. Truth be told, the patron saint of Ireland was portrayed by an elaborately costumed Tim Kelly, who has played the part of St. Patrick in the parade for five years.
“I’m Irish myself,” Kelly said, smiling.
Heading down Landis Avenue from 83rd Street to 63rd Street, Kelly and other parade marchers waved to thousands of spectators amid a sea of green clothing, hats, beads, shamrocks, comical shaggy wigs and Irish flags.
“The people want this parade. They are out, and they are happy. They are having a great time,” said Mayor Leonard Desiderio, whose family has sponsored the parade for all 32 years.
Desiderio and his late brother, Gerard, started Sea Isle’s St. Patrick’s Day parade and Columbus Day parade in 1992, setting the stage for both to become annual traditions. However, the COVID-19 pandemic took a toll on the Columbus Day parade and it was canceled. Desiderio hopes to revive the Columbus Day parade in 2025.
He pointed out that this year’s St. Patrick’s Day parade benefited from some beautiful, sunny weather and temperatures in the high 50s – in contrast to the rainy skies that hovered overhead in 2023 and the bitterly cold conditions in 2022 that seemed more appropriate for a parade featuring Santa Claus and his elves than Irish leprechauns.
The mayor, accompanied by his daughter, Carmela, strode down Landis Avenue, waving at the parade crowds and shaking hands. City Councilwoman Mary Tighe, Cape May County Commissioner Andrew Bulakowski and Cape May County Sheriff Bob Nolan were among other dignitaries in the parade.
The Durning String Band provided the musical backdrop for the lively procession. An array of costumed characters entertained the crowds.
Police cars, fire trucks and other emergency vehicles flashed their lights and blared their sirens and horns to crank up the excitement level.
Longtime Sea Isle residents Eileen Reilly Hooper and Gerri McCardle McDevitt served as grand marshals.
Members of Sea Isle’s VFW Post 1963, led by Commander Joe McLenaghan, carried the flags at the head of the parade. Some of the VFW’s Auxiliary members also marched.
Speck, a Cape May County Sheriff’s Department horse ridden by Officer Andrew Raniszewski, remained remarkably calm while striding down Landis Avenue despite all of the parade noise and distractions.
As is tradition, marchers threw wrapped candy to children watching the parade.
Sea Isle residents Toni and Greg Grdinich and their friends, Michelle and Jay Rebock, and their daughter, Morgan, arrived early to stake out a prime spot on the sidewalk right next to the parade’s starting point at 83rd Street and Landis.
“We fought the crowds,” Michelle joked of their zeal to get the best spot.
The Grdiniches and Rebocks are neighbors on 84th Street and Pleasure Avenue and had only a short walk to watch the parade get underway.
The Grdiniches estimated they have watched the St. Patrick’s Day parade together for about 10 years, perhaps more.
“It’s the start of everything. St. Paddy’s Day, as I get older, is the turning point as I get ready for the summer,” Greg Grdinich explained of the parade’s special significance to him.
Last year, the Grdiniches missed Sea Isle’s parade during a trip to Ireland. While in Cobh, Ireland, they marched in the town’s St. Patrick’s Day parade.
“It was unbelievable. I’d love to go back. It was a great parade,” Greg said.
Without missing a beat, Toni chimed in, “But not as great as Sea Isle’s St. Patrick’s Day parade.”
