Savannah St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee elects John Forbes as 2024 grand marshal

The Savannah St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee has bestowed the green blazer on John Forbes, who was named Grand Marshal for the 200th St. Patrick's Day Parade on Sunday at Benedictine Military School.

Forbes will serve as the main ambassador for a multitude of events over the coming weeks, leading up to the parade, March 16. He's certainly no stranger to Savannah's biggest Irish heritage celebrating. He has been involved in the parade in some capacity from spectator to committee member since childhood. He even served as general chairman back in 2007.

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Though the atmosphere inside the Benedictine gym was subdued, there was a jovial air as Forbes accepted handshakes and hugs from various committee members. The temperate and sunny Sunday morning had all the makings of a momentous occasion, which it certainly was for Forbes and not necessarily because this year marks the 200th anniversary.

"My father was Grand Marshal in 1998," he said of his dad, who is also named John but goes by Jim. Tears welled slightly in Forbes's eyes as he said, "He's someone who I've tried to model my life after and to be able to do this while he's still with us is a dream come true."

Forbes said that his fourth-generation grandparents were from County Cork in Ireland. He was born in Marietta, Georgia, but grew up in Savannah, where his parents were originally from. He attended Saint James Catholic School and then graduated high school from Benedictine in 1986. Members of his family have attended St. Vincent's Academy and other catholic school institutions in the area, so the honor connects to his familial and religious roots.

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He is most looking forward to the Celtic Cross Mass on Sunday,March 10. "It is where we honor the past, present and future of the Irish in Savannah," he said. "The Irish societies go to mass at the [St. John the Baptist] Cathedral and then processed to the park for a small ceremony."

Forbes said he's excited for fulfilling the role as Grand Marshal. "General Chairman Tim Mahoney will be giving me my list of functions that I will be attending, so he's my boss for the next few weeks," Forbes joked. "I'm very fortunate that Tim is the general chairman; we've known each other since we were children."

Before he headed out to the reception with his fellow committee members, Forbes took a promotional tone, "We're finally out of COVID and everybody wants to have fun, so why not come to a beautiful place? We normally have beautiful weather in March. It's gonna be a great day. It's gonna be a great few weeks of festivities leading up to the parade."

Forbes is the president and co-owner (along with his father) of Colonial Couriers, a company his grandmother founded in 1982.

Joseph Schwartzburt is the education and workforce development reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at JSchwartzburt@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: John Forbes to serve as 2024 Savannah St. Patrick's Parade grand marshal