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Parade

Port Jefferson Fire Department Independence Day Parade finally makes a comeback

by Julianne Mosher - July 7, 2021

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With restrictions finally lifted, people from across Suffolk County — and even Connecticut — were able to finally celebrate the Fourth of July with a favorite traadition.

The Port Jefferson Fire Department Independence Day Parade was cancelled, along with most other events, last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

But this year, things seemed back to normal with hundreds of people gathered on the sidewalks of Port Jefferson village, decked in their most patriotic wear, to celebrate America’s birthday.

“I’m just glad that we’re back to some sort of normalcy,” said Todd Stumpf, department chief. “We’re glad to see the public back together to help celebrate the country’s birth.”

Vintage cars drove down the road, waving American flags out of their windows as excited kids and their families waved from the sidewalk. Children ran to their parents who marched in uniform when they spotted them from the sidelines. Dancers waved red, white, and blue pom poms whiles pipes and drums played their sounds. Even the Batmobile made an appearance.

Although the parade included Port Jeff and Terryville, members from South Shore, eastern, and western Suffolk County departments joined together to march along Main Street on July 5.

Since the Fourth of July was on a Sunday this year, the fire department decided to host the parade a day later, on Monday, to respect the local churches throughout the village.

“From our end it ran really smooth,” said Steve Erland, third assistant chief. “It’s just so nice to bring it back to the community.”

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Updates on PJ Village as LI Moves into Phase 4

by Kyle Barr - July 9, 2020

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107008135_10158019897773347_4357404412131505480_n — A Port Jeff parking ambassador sanitizes a parking meter. Photo from Port Jefferson Village

As Long Island started with Phase 4 opening Wednesday, July 8, Port Jefferson village is active in debating a number of topics both related to the pandemic and not. Here are a few updates from the village’s July 6 meeting.

• Metered parking started up again in Port Jeff July 1. Monday through Wednesday will remain free parking, and parking ambassadors are going around on heavily trafficked days to disinfect meters. Some meters have been converted so people can pay with their phones by tapping their devices with either Google or Apple Pay to the meters.

Main Street remains open for curbside pickup only on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Otherwise it is open for 1 hour parking only during those same times.

• Village officials agreed to pay Andy Fortier Fine Woodworking and Design $10,857 to finish up the last designs for the Harborfront Park stage. This includes permanent railings up to the stage and postings at the edges of the stage footprint which will handle the decorative sails meant to cover over the stage. The sails will be rigged up like on a sailboat so they can lift and cover the stage. The money is coming out of the Farmers Market Trust Account, which is made up of the fees merchants pay the village to set up their stalls.

• Texaco Park in Upper Port is open, though the basketball hoop was taken down to dissuade contact sports. Reopening other parks in the village is a little more controversial.

The trustees debated opening up Rocketship Park, with Mayor Margot Garant and trustee Stan Loucks concerned with the amount of traffic the park gets. Trustee Kathianne Snaden argued that beaches are already open with kids playing there as well, and that the village could try and open it to “see how it goes.”

The village parks department is said to be spraying down benches and other equipment in the mornings as a kind of “routine maintenance,” according tovillage administrator Joe Palumbo.

Officials also talked about adding free-standing hand-sanitizing stations to park entrances or potentially limiting park hours and capacity while having a person on staff monitoring how many people are in the park at a time.

• Garant said the village is working to codify a new rule setting a moratorium on any new parades for the foreseeable future. This comes after this past week when a right wing Facebook group Setauket Patriots filed a permit for their own parade for the Fourth of July weekend after the fire department canceled its annual event. That parade was in part a political response to a Black Lives Matter march that came through Port Jefferson two weeks before. Village officials approved that march, though officials also had reservations about that event.

While the village still has to set up a date for a public hearing on a moratorium, Garant said they are adding an emergency order for village employees to put any new parade applications under stay, for the time being.

“I think we made a mistake, and we need to just stop now and be careful about how we’re moving forward,” the mayor said.

At the July 6 meeting, the board also retroactively publicly approved the Setauket Patriots parade after having been polled on the decision remotely. All approved the parade except Garant, who had previously recused herself from that original decision.

• The village re-upped its contract with Social Butterfly, a web and social media agency based in Port Jefferson for $2,000 a month. Garant said the agency does posts to the village’s Facebook page and establishes events for the page. They also work with Port Jefferson and the country club’s website regarding events. Snaden asked if the agency can give more up-to-date statistics for page views and offer ways to work with Facebook’s algorithms so more people can see village posts.

• Port Jefferson approved at a monthly cost of $1,000 Garland Industries for IT services for the operation and maintenance of the Foreup system software. Foreup is software for managing tee times and other marketing for golf clubs. Brian Macmillan, the general manager of the Port Jefferson Country Club, said it will streamline current services and send out emails to market country club membership. The village capped the services for four months through October, with a chance to reevaluate the program after that time.

Sun shines bright on 69th MP-RP St. Patrick’s Day Parade

by Kyle Barr - March 18, 2019

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Green was the color of choice from Miller Place to Rocky Point as thousands lined the roads to celebrate the 69^thannual Miller Place – Rocky Point St. Patrick’s Day Parade March 17.

With a cool, sunny day preceding the coming Spring, families sat along Route 25A from the Rocky Point Business District all the way into Miller Place and watched as members of the Miller Place, Rocky Point and Sound Beach fire departments walked in step to members of local family farms, the fife and pipe bands, marching bands, baton twirling teams and many, many more.

Before the parade even began, children and adults alike walked through the streets blasting from green plastic trumpets and horns, painted their faces with clovers and even brought their pets out dressed in Irish flair.

Huntington celebrates 85th St. Patrick’s Day Parade

by Kyle Barr - March 14, 2019

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Residents in Huntington were dressed in green, contrasting well with the gray skies above. Despite a drizzling rain, thousands still stepped out dressed in St. Patrick’s Day flair to enjoy a day of Irish pride during the 85th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade March 10.

This year’s grand marshal was Timothy Rossiter, 72, a member of the Huntington division of the Ancient Order of Hibernians and president of the Rossiter Financial Group.

The march featured several drum and pipe bands, along with local groups including local Boy Scout troops, VFWs, New York State Nurses Association and many others.

All photos by David Ackerman

Grand marshal named for 69th annual St. Patrick’s parade

by TBR Staff - March 3, 2019

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john-mcnamara-2-27-19 — John McNamara. Photo from Ray O'Sullivan

By David Luces

Described as a man who has devoted his time to the community and his faith, John McNamara was genuinely surprised when he received the news from the Friends of St. Patrick organization that he was chosen to be the grand marshal of the 69th Miller Place-Rocky Point St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

“I was shocked and pleasantly surprised,” he said.

McNamara and his wife, Kathy, have lived in Rocky Point since 1978 where they raised four children: Erin, John, Mark and Kathleen, and now the couple has six grandchildren. He has been involved over the years with the St. Louis de Montfort Church in Sound Beach in teaching and ministry. He is also involved in his local parishes, namely St. Anthony of Padua Church in Rocky Point and St. Mark’s Parish in Shoreham where he has been a youth minister since 1979. He also taught at Maria Regina High School in Uniondale.

Scene from the Miller Place-Rocky Point Friends of St. Patrick’s parade. File Photo by Bob Savage

The Rocky Point resident acknowledged that being named the grand marshal is a great honor, and he is excited to be a part of the parade and for his family to be there as well.

“When I told my family the news, they were very happy and surprised — just like I was,”
he said.

McNamara is excited for his grandchildren to be a part of the festivities as they carry banners along the parade route.

On March 17, McNamara will lead the nearly three-mile march down Route 25A. He said the parade is a way of thanking the community for all they do.

Ray O’Sullivan, secretary for the Friends of St. Patrick has known McNamara for most of his life through the St. Louis de Montfort Church.

“He is a good man — a holy man,” he said. “We came to the decision to name John the grand marshal this year.”

O’Sullivan said McNamara is well-known for serving the community and that generations of people know him through his work in
the churches.

This year’s Miller Place-Rocky Point Parade will also honor James O’Sullivan, who passed away in January, 2017. He was a former president of Friends of St. Patrick and was a member of the organization for over 60 years.

“Jimmy was a great fellow,” McNamara said. “He was a great guy and a caring man who loved helping the community. His sons are members of the organization and continue to do his work.”

O’Sullivan said that his father was the Grand Marshal of the 1965 parade and held every position in the Friends of St. Patrick’s organization. He would work hours before the parade started to make sure everything was ready to go.

“He gave everything to the organization,” O’Sullivan said. “The parade meant everything to my dad because of his heritage,”

Ray’s father came to the United States from Ireland in the mid 1950s and his uncle John Sullivan started the parade in 1950.

“He is a good man — a holy man.”

— Ray O’Sullivan

“Miller Place and Rocky Point was his adopted home, and he wanted to serve the community,” O’Sullivan said.

The Rocky Point High School Marching Band, the Patriot Brass Ensemble and the Colonial Fife and Drum are just a handful of groups that will be participating in this year’s parade

The Friends of St. Patrick will also host a Luck of the Irish Casino Night, March 8 from 7 to 11 p.m. at The East Wind resort in Wading River. The casino night will serve as the main fundraiser for the parade. The queen and her court for the Rocky Point-Miller Place St. Patrick’s Day Parade will be crowned, and the grand marshal formally introduced at the event as well. There will be a buffet dinner and an open bar. Tickets are $75 per person. For more information on the event visit
www.friendsofstpatrick.org.

Nally Boys to lead Kings Park’s 2019 St. Patrick’s Day Parade

by TBR Staff - March 1, 2019

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Nally boys, Gene, Tom and John_ KP St. Pat's Day Committee — The Nally boys, pictured from left, Gene, Tom and John, will serve as grand marshals of the Kings Park's 2019 St. Patrick's Day parade. Photo from KP parade committee

By Kevin Matyi

Some would say the Nally family name is synonymous with Kings Park.

Tom Nally, who shares a name with his late father who died in 2017, said that his family has been deeply ingrained in Kings Park’s community. Both Tom and his father worked as teachers and coaches for Kings Park High School. His mother, Diane, worked for St. Joseph’s School of Religion. His brother, John, worked as a pharmacist at Genovese Drug Stores while Gene Nally went into local politics.

“It just feels like Kings Park is an extension of my family,” Tom Nally said.

“It just feels like Kings Park is an extension of my family.”

— Tom Nally

The family has lived in the community for nearly 120 years, spanning six generations.

“This community has shown me what it means to care for your neighbors and to be there when they need you,” John Nally said. “This town has always been there for my family through good times and bad, and I am forever grateful.”

These contributions are part of why the Nally Boys, Tom, John and Gene, were selected as grand marshals for the 2019 Kings Park St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Together, the three brothers will lead a multitude of bands, floats and local organizations and businesses in marching along Main Street.

“Since the parade’s inception, the Nally family has been a staple in the parade, resplendent and enthusiastic in a pickup truck … emblazoned with the Nally Boys banner,” reads the parade’s website.

Both Tom and John Nally attributed the original concept of the truck and its banner to their father.

Tom Nally said one of his favorite memories of the past was seeing how excited his father would become while gathering items to decorate the truck.

“He was always figuring out ways to make more room in the back of the pickup truck to fit more family members,” he said.

His brother recalled the family’s first time preparing to take part in the Kings Park tradition.

“I remember when Tom [Sr.] first told us we would be in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade,” John Nally said. “He was all excited and worked hard to get the truck clean and had a banner made heralding our family’s roots in County Westmeath in Ireland.”

Each year, the number of Nally family and friends riding along the parade route in the pickup truck has continued to grow, turning it into a tradition. Upon being presented with their sashes at the Grand Marshal Ball in November, John Nally said he was filled with a sense of pride.

“Our Irish heritage has always been important to our family and to be singled out was extremely humbling,” he said.

“Our Irish heritage has always been important to our family and to be singled out was extremely humbling.”

— John Nally

While the three brothers are often called the Nally Boys, John Nally said they would never forget their sister, Terri, who passed away in 2002.

“She was a very important member of our family and an integral part of the community,” he said.

John Nally said he knows that his father and sister will be with them in spirit as the three brothers take their places March 2.

“When we take our place in the front of the parade this year, I know Tom [Sr.] will be smiling down on us,” John Nally said. “He was the architect of this journey and to not have him with us will be extremely bittersweet. To have his son, Thomas, walk with us will ease the pain and we know Tom will be with us in spirit. Both he and my sister, Terri, would be extremely proud.”

The 2019 Kings Park’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade will step off March 2 at noon from the intersection of Lou Avenue and Pulaski Road at the Celtic Crossing bar.

Photos: Kicking off the holiday season in Huntington

by Sara-Megan Walsh - November 26, 2018

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The threat of rain may have dampened activities, but hundreds bundled up to watch the 9th annual Huntington Holiday Parade Nov. 24.

Huntington Town officials called off the afternoon festivities as weather forecasters predicted a freezing rain would start sometime in the afternoon. Supervisor Chad Lupinacci (R) decreed the parade would happen, rain or shine.

Luckily umbrellas were not needed as highly decorated floats and parade marchers proceeded from the Big H Shopping Center on New York Avenue to Main Street, winding its way along West Neck Road, east on Gerard Street before ending on Wall Street for the annual tree lighting. The most anticipate, at least by children, were Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus who arrived in Huntington Village at the end of the parade.

Click through the photos above to see the photos from the festive performance and parade.

A wonder-fall festival in Wading River

by Kyle Barr - October 15, 2018

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The Wading River Shoreham Chamber of Commerce hosted its first Fall Festival Oct. 13, and while cold rain fell throughout the morning, the community still came out in costume to celebrate the arrival of autumn.

While Halloween is still weeks away, kids dressed up in costume as zombies, firefighters, superheroes and many others, to march in a short parade from St. John the Baptist’s Church to the Wading River duck pond. Though not many kids participated in the walk because of the rain, young people still got to participate in a pumpkin decorating contest, crafts and shop at booths featuring local vendors.

Italian pride shines in Huntington’s Columbus Day Parade

by Sara-Megan Walsh - October 8, 2018

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Hundreds gathered in Huntington to put on a proud display of their Italian heritage at the 20th annual Long Island Columbus Day Parade Oct. 7. The event, hosted by the Town of Huntington and Huntington Township Chamber of Commerce, aims to celebrate Italian heritage, culture and their contributions to society.

Hundreds of New York members of the Order of Sons and Daughters of Italy in America marched along the parade route from the Old Village Green west on Main Street to the Christopher Columbus statue, at the intersection of West Neck Road, in honor of the organization’s 113th anniversary.

This year’s parade marshals were: Robert Ferrito, president of the New York OSDIA, Huntington Supervisor Chad Lupinacci (R); Antoinette Biordi, an anchorwoman for News 12; and Vito DeSimone, an Italian media personality.

Huntington Fire Department celebrates 175 years

by Sara-Megan Walsh - July 30, 2018

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The sun came out from behind clouds to shine down on Huntington Fire Department’s volunteers as they celebrated the organization’s 175th anniversary July 28.

The event kicked off with a 4 p.m. parade that stepped off from Huntington Town Hall, headed west on Main Street before turning north onto Wall Street and ended at the Leverich Place firestation. Huntington resident Henry Gerdes, 98, was selected as the parade’s grand marshal in honor of his 78 years of volunteer service to the fire department. Numerous fire companies traveled in from as far away as Sheldon, Connecticut to march with their trucks draped in banners announcing their congratulations to Huntington on their 175th anniversary.

After the parade, Huntington residents and community were invited to a free festival behind the firehouse featuring free refreshment, live entertainment, carnival games, inflatable rides for children late into the evening.

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