Photos by Greg Catalano
Scenes from the 2024 Miller Place-Rocky Point St. Patrick’s Day Parade
St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Hundreds go green for St. James’ parade
Temperatures were low but spirits were high at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in St. James on Saturday, March 11.
Residents from across both shores headed to Lake Avenue this weekend to eat, drink and be merry. The hamlet’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade featured floats, the local Irish step dance team, kids from the Smithtown Bulldogs youth football league and leprechauns galore.
Kicking off the parade was Grand Marshal Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim (R), as he sported a bright green hat leading other elected officials, including Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone (D), right center, and State Sen. Mario Mattera (R-Saint James), below right.
While many parade participants were Smithtown-based, the event also welcomed fire departments from Northport, Stony Brook and Babylon.
St. James resident named Huntington parade grand marshal
A former Huntington resident for many years and local financial consultant has been chosen as this year’s grand marshal in the town’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
The parade’s organizers, the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Division 4, named Greg Kennedy to lead the 89th annual parade through Huntington Sunday, March 12.
Kennedy has been a financial consultant in the town for more than 25 years, and while he has lived in St. James since 2010, he was a Huntington resident for decades before his move.
A St. John’s University graduate, Kennedy is the founder of the financial services business Atlantic Financial Group, which has been located on New Street in Huntington village since 2008. Before opening his own business, he was an adviser with MetLife and then joined A.G. Edwards.
Tom Dougherty, a Hibernian member, said Kennedy is more than a local businessman. This year’s grand marshal, who was president of the Hibernians division during 2015-17, is the president of The Townwide Fund of Huntington, and a member of the foundation board of directors of the Visiting Nurse Service and Hospice of Suffolk in Northport. He also is involved with the food bank at St. Patrick’s Church and other local charities.
“Our motto is friendship, unity and Christian charity, a model that we live by, and we try to pick somebody that lives by that motto, and those are all the things that he’s lived up to,” Dougherty said.
The Hibernian added that in addition to Kennedy’s contributions to Huntington he does a good deal for the division, including helping members who may need a ride to a doctor’s office or grocery store.
“He’s a put-other-people-first kind of guy,” Dougherty said.
Kennedy said being named parade grand marshal is a tremendous honor for him.
“I was just humbled and honored to be chosen among such great past grand marshals,” he said.
Past Huntington grand marshals include former state Supreme Court justice Jerry Asher and Northwell Health president and CEO Michael Dowling.
Kennedy added because he’s adopted, he’s not sure of the exact percentage of Irish heritage he is.
The businessman attends the parade every year with his wife Cathleen and children Sara, a college junior, and Ryan, a high school senior. His daughter was a parade Colleen in 2020, according to Kennedy, and this year his son will march with him as one of the parade aides.
“My family has been with me since the beginning, since I started with Hibernians,”
he said.
The parade
While the Huntington parade was canceled in 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions, a virtual event was held that year, and in 2022 the event returned once again to Huntington’s streets. Dougherty said this year there has been an increase in participants in the parade and ad journal, which helps the Hibernians raise money for the event.
Kennedy had advice for those planning to attend the parade, including taking the time to visit a few stores and having lunch.
“Get there early, and long johns aren’t a bad idea because it can be cold,” he said. “Be prepared to enjoy a great day because the parade starts at 2 but it goes for a good few hours.”
Huntington St. Patrick’s Day Parade kicks off at 2 p.m. on March 12 on Route 110 and Church Street. It then continues to Main Street and ends at St. Patrick’s R.C. Church.
Supervisor Wehrheim set to lead St. James parade
After leading the town for five years, Town of Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim (R) will head up the St. James St. Patrick’s Day Parade Saturday, March 11.
Wehrheim, a native of Kings Park, said when he heard the news, he was humbled and honored. The town supervisor added he is mostly of German and English descent.
“As I told the chamber for that particular day, I will be all Irish,” he said.
The honor will be his first time serving as a parade grand marshal.
“I’m pretty excited,” he said. “It’s great for the community when the chambers put the parades and events on. I’m looking forward to it.
Kathy Weber, president of the St. James Chamber of Commerce, said the board chose Wehrheim as grand marshal for all his work for the hamlet, including being instrumental in making possible Celebrate Park, which opened in 2022.
“From the roads to the park and all the revitalization, he’s really there for St. James,” Weber said. “We’re so grateful.”
She added it’s apparent how Wehrheim cares about the St. James community.
“It wasn’t even a question as to who should be this year’s grand marshal,” Weber said.
Wehrheim said the town is proud of what has been done in St. James.
“It has resulted in a huge success for the community and the business community,” he said. “To be the grand marshal and go down the newly renovated Lake Avenue will be a great honor.”
The supervisor said after COVID-19 protocols prevented or limited community gatherings for a couple of years, returning to parades, festivals, concerts and more was welcomed.
The St. James St. Patrick’s Day Parade was canceled in 2020 a few days before it was due to take place. In 2021 a car parade was held, and the 2022 parade was postponed until a few weeks later due to inclement weather on its original scheduled date. According to Weber, it was the first time there was a rain date.
She said this year planning and participation have returned to pre-COVID conditions.
“There are a lot of people and a lot of excitement,” she said, adding that several children will be participating as princes and princesses this year. A resident turning Sweet 16 will also be in the parade handing out candy after her grandmother arranged to make her wish to participate come true.
“It’s a great day to celebrate the supervisor and celebrate St. James,” Weber said. “The feeling in St. James, it’s such a close community feeling.”
The St. James St. Patrick’s Day Parade will be held on Saturday, March 11. The event kicks off on the corner of Woodlawn and Lake avenues at 1 p.m. and continues to the train station.
Hundreds turn up for Kings Park parade
Despite cloudy skies and a short period of misty rain, hundreds lined Pulaski Road, Main and Church streets in Kings Park to witness the hamlet’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade. This year’s event featured marching bands, Scouts, local officials, firefighters, business representatives and more.
A tradition since 2011, this year’s parade was led by grand marshal Michael Lacey, a decades-long resident of Kings Park who grew up in Ireland.
St. James celebrates a belated St. Patrick’s Day
After canceling the St. James St. Patrick’s Day for two years in a row due to COVID-19, the parade had to be postponed from March 12 to April 2 due to inclement weather.
The sun was bright and the temperatures were mild this time around. On April 2, St. James residents were joined by their neighbors from surrounding towns and hamlets to celebrate the return of the parade. Hundreds lined the streets and put on some green to celebrate the tradition.
State Sen. Mario Mattera and Kerry Reilly DeJesus shared the honor of grand marshal. The parade also included bagpipes, Irish step dancers, firefighters from St. James and surrounding areas, representatives from various civic associations, businesses, and more.
Huntington holds its 88th annual St. Patrick’s Day parade
On Sunday, March 13, the Ancient Order of the Hibernians, Division IV, hosted its 88th annual St. Patrick’s Day parade in Huntington.
Despite the frigid cold of Sunday afternoon, dozens of pipe and drum bands, dance groups, first responders and community organizations marched north along Route 110 from Huntington Station to the Church of St. Patrick near Huntington Village.
The parade was an in-person event, the first held since the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020. Michael Dowling, president and CEO of Northwell Health, was the grand marshal of this year’s parade.
The parade marked a turning point for Huntington. According to John Broderick, president of AOH, Division IV, the parade was halted for nearly two years due COVID restrictions that limited in-person gatherings. As Long Island begins to open, this parade signals a return to normal.
For our full interview with Dowling, visit One-on-one with Huntington’s parade marshal Dowling.
St. James parade returns April 2 after three years’ absence
The 2022 parade will be the first one in the hamlet to feature two grand marshals
This post is an updated version of The Times of Smithtown’s March 10 edition. Due to inclement weather, the St. James St. Patrick’s Day Parade has been postponed from March 12 to April 2.
A decades-old favorite is about to return to St. James.
Hamlet residents were all set to celebrate the 36th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in 2020, when just a few days before it was to kickoff, COVID-19 mandates shut it and other activities like it down.
Once again, in 2021, the event couldn’t be held due to the lingering pandemic, and a car parade was held throughout St. James in its place. This year, events have been given the green light once again, and the parade, organized by the St. James Chamber of Commerce, will take place along Lake Avenue on April 2.
State Sen. Mario Mattera (R-St. James) and Kerry Reilly-DeJesus will finally be able to enjoy the honor of being joint grand marshals. The two were named for the 2020 parade, and it was the first time the St. James parade committee chose two grand marshals to lead the event.
Reilly-DeJesus, who works as a call center manager for Stony Brook University’s Southampton Hospital, said she was disappointed when the 2020 parade was canceled but wasn’t surprised.
“In the interest of public health, I think our town and our local government made the best decision to keep everybody safe,” she said. “I can’t say I wasn’t disappointed, of course, but did I support the decision? Absolutely. It was the best decision for the time.”
When Mattera was first named grand marshal, he wasn’t a state senator yet. Since he took office in January 2021, he has appeared at many community events, such as the Kings Park St. Patrick’s Day Parade on March 5. At that event, he said he was looking forward to the parade in St. James, where he and his family have lived for more than 25 years after he and his wife moved from Nesconset.
“People are getting out,” Mattera said. “It’s very exciting. I know it’s going to be four to five people deep on Lake Avenue. I’m just honored and privileged that we’re still continuing with the parade, and we’re going to have a great day.”
While Mattera isn’t of Irish descent, Terry, his wife of nearly 30 years, is. The couple has raised two daughters in the hamlet. Before becoming state senator, he was the business agent for Plumbers Local Union 200 of Ronkonkoma. In addition to his work with the union, he was a member of the Smithtown Executive Board representing St. James, and on the boards of Community Association of Greater St. James, the Suffolk County Water Authority and the Suffolk County Consumer Affairs Plumbing, Licensing and Fire Protection. He was also a Suffolk County Workforce Housing Committee member, the plumber’s union chairman for the political PAC fund for the county and board member for the New York State Apprenticeship and Training Council.
Reilly-DeJesus has lived in St. James for more than two decades, where she and her husband, Ralph, for over 25 years, have raised four children.
The wife and mother has always been active in the community and has taught religion at St. Philip and St. James R.C. Church. She has also been involved in the Smithtown Central School District as a family living chairperson working on food drives at Mills Pond Elementary School and was vice president of the PTA at the elementary school for two years. She later went on to serve as PTA president for two years. As her children advanced in the school district, so did Reilly-DeJesus. She was PTA president at Nesaquake Middle School for three years and then did the same for six years at Smithtown High School East’s PTA. She’s continued being part of the high school’s PTA even though all of her children have graduated and is currently helping with the organization’s upcoming fundraising fashion show.
Outside of religious instruction and the school district, Reilly-DeJesus said she has been a Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts leader for her children’s troops.
While Mattera has participated in past parades with the local car club, and DeJesus has marched with the Scouts, both said they are looking forward to finally being grand marshal.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Reilly-DeJesus said. “I’m really excited about it — that it’s finally coming to fruition.”
Mattera has another reason to look forward to the role as he said he sees parades such as the ones in Smithtown as a sign of moving forward.
“The atmosphere — even with the Kings Park parade — people are excited to get out with their families and the kids,” he said. “They get dressed up in green, all the Irish attire. It’s just about our families.”
Reilly-DeJesus agreed that it’s what the residents need.
“This is just what our little town needs to get us back into the communal spirit,” she said.
Mattera and Reilly-DeJesus will be joined by the parade’s princesses and princes of 2022 and those from the 2020 court who missed their chance to march that year. Parade committeeperson Kerry Maher Weisse said the organizers are excited, especially after the recent renovation of Lake Avenue. Weisse, who is part of the Maher family that owns the St. James Funeral Home, said the Mahers and the Robedee family of WBR Enterprises donated Irish flags for the parade and worked together with the Smithtown Highway Department to hang them along Lake Avenue.
On behalf of the St. James Chamber of Commerce, Weisse said, “We’re excited to celebrate the green and St. Paddy’s Day, and we’re excited to be out there for the residents, excited to be out there for the businesses.”
The St. James St. Patrick’s Day Parade will begin at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 2. Bands, Scouts, dance groups, fire trucks, antique cars and more will travel from the corner of Woodlawn and Lake avenues to the viewing stand by the Long Island Rail Road train station.
Kings Park parade returns to Main Street
Kings Park residents’ eyes were smiling as the hamlet’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade returned to Main Street. Last year the event couldn’t be held due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Hundreds lined the streets to view the parade, many wearing green and waving the Irish flag.
Led by grand marshals Charlie Gardner and Diane Gardner Howell, the parade featured bagpipe and school bands, Irish step dancers, police officers and firefighters from Kings Park and surrounding areas, representatives from various civic associations and businesses, and more.
St. James Celebrates a First in 2020 with Two Grand Marshals
Editor’s note: As of March 12, the St. James St. Patrick’s Day Parade has been postponed.
During this year’s 36th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in St. James, spectators will witness a first — two grand marshals leading the parade.
Hosted by the St. James Chamber of Commerce, the parade committee has chosen residents Kerry Reilly DeJesus and Mario Mattera as grand marshals for 2020. William Garthe, chamber board member, said each year residents are asked to write in to say who they would like to see lead the parade. This year the chamber received an overwhelming and equal number of nominations for Mattera and DeJesus.
Mattera said he was surprised when he heard he was chosen because he thought the grand marshal had to be of Irish descent. The St. James resident said he was humbled and honored.
When he heard DeJesus was also chosen, he was thrilled and described her as a wonderful person.
“Just her personality brings a smile to your face,” he said. “That’s the type of woman Kerry is. We need more of that.”
DeJesus also had complimentary things to say about Mattera.
“I couldn’t be in better company than Mario,” she said, adding she was overwhelmed when she heard the news that she was chosen.
“I was so flattered,” she said. “I thought that was so sweet of them to think of me.”
Mattera, a Smithtown resident for 55 years, moved from Nesconset to St. James in 1996. He said his wife of 26 years, Terry, and his two daughters Jessica and Jayme will be on hand to walk with him in the parade.
The husband and father is the business agent for Plumbers Local Union 200 of Ronkonkoma. In addition to his work with the union, he is a member of the Smithtown Executive Board representing St. James, and on the boards of Community Association of Greater St. James, the Suffolk County Water Authority and the Suffolk County Consumer Affairs Plumbing, Licensing and Fire Protection. He is also a Suffolk County Workforce Housing Committee member, the plumber’s union chairman for the political PAC fund for the county and board member for the New York State Apprenticeship Committee.
In his free time, he volunteers with Helmets to Hardhats, which works with returning veterans, and he also finds time to cheer on the Smithtown High School East’s Whisperettes, the kickline team, of which both of his daughters have been members.
DeJesus works as a call center manager for the Stony Brook University’s Southampton Hospital. She has lived in St. James for more than two decades where she and her husband, Ralph, of 25 years, have raised four children. She said she’s excited that her son Ralph Jr., who is serving in the U.S. Marines, has been granted a weekend leave to march with her and the family.
The wife and mother has taught religion at St. Philip and St. James R.C. Church, and with her teaching career in St. James and past service in two other churches, she earned a 20-year service award. She has also been active in the Smithtown Central School District as a Family Living chairperson working on food drives at Mills Pond Elementary School and was vice president of the PTA at the elementary school for two years. She later went on to serve as PTA president for two years. As her children advanced in the school district, so did DeJesus. For three years she was PTA president at Nesaquake Middle School and then did the same for six years at Smithtown High School East’s PTA. She has worked in other roles too as Spiritwear chairperson, recording secretary, vice president and a two-year stint as council president and vice president for the district.
Outside of religious instruction and the school district, DeJesus said she has been a Girl and Boy Scouts leader for her children’s troops. She has volunteered through the years at Deepwells Haunted Mansion where she has played a witch and dead doll, as well as working the concession.
“That’s a lot of fun,” she said. “That’s another great community thing that we do in St. James.”
While Mattera has participated in past parades with the car club, DeJesus has marched with the Boy and Girl Scouts. When it comes to parades, both grand marshals agree it’s important for communities.
“It brings everyone together, and bringing the community together, especially with the feeling right now — that we’re going to give the town a jump start — it’s a lot,” Mattera said, referencing the revitalization of
Lake Avenue.
DeJesus said parades are also a way to draw people to St. James from other hamlets in the township. Plus, she said the St. Patrick’s Day Parade signals that spring is around the corner and gets everyone out of their homes.
“I feel like I’m reconnecting with old friends when I see all these people,” she said.
Mattera and DeJesus will be joined by the parade’s princesses and princes. The court includes two-year-old Avianna Manning, St. James Elementary School third-grader Juliana Cating Gleeson, kindergartener Jayden Cassidy Gleeson, third-grader Samantha Keil, first-grader Violet Keil, third-grader Mia Sherlock, kindergartener Sydney Sherlock, fourth-grader Ethan Tuzinkiewicz, second-grader Benjamin Tuzinkiewicz, first-grader Daniel Tuzinkiewicz and Nesaquake Middle School sixth-grade studentw Kayla Moore.
The St. James St. Patrick’s Day Parade begins at the Smithtown High School East parking lot on Woodlawn Avenue and travels to Lake Avenue where it makes a right and continues to the St. James Gazebo by the Long Island Rail Road station.
