'Most Irish town in America' gets ready for state's 3rd largest St. Patrick's Day parade

SCITUATE – Ed Kelley never planned it this way.

He thought he was just offering to help out for a St. Patrick's Day parade back in 1999.

Instead, he wound up running what is essentially a small business for 25 years. But even now, when he's working nonstop and the phone rings constantly for two weeks, he is having fun. Usually.

Kelley, 70, is the chairman of the parade committee for the annual Scituate St. Patrick's Parade on the Irish Riviera.

When he first volunteered "to help," he played the bass drum in the Crusaders Senior Drum & Bugle Corps of Boston. He thought his offer might secure a spot for the band to march in the parade. He found out the Scituate Chamber of Commerce was delighted to hand over the parade leadership to him; the previous chairman had recently moved out of town.

The largest St. Patrick's parade on the South Shore

Over 25 years, Kelley and his many supporters have made their mark. Compared to 1999, the parade is five times as long. The annual budget has increased from $5,000 the year before he joined to more than $60,000 this year. For his efforts, Kelly is paid a stipend to cover his expenses.

Scituate's parade – this year on St. Patrick's Day, March 17 – is now the third largest St. Patrick's parade in the state, after those in South Boston and Holyoke. It is also considered the largest on the South Shore. In the past, it has drawn an estimated 20,000 people, Kelley said. It includes Irish music, clowns, antique cars and local politicians.

"People come from all around to see it," Richard Dwyer, 79, a lifelong Scituate resident, said. He and his wife, Diane, enjoy taking their three grandchildren, Will and Phoebe Ruzika from Scituate and Skye Dodge from Osterville.

"I like everything about it," Dwyer said. "All the family being together and watching the kids chase the candy."

This past week, Kelley was working at peak pace. On the phone constantly, sitting in front of his computer, he was confirming which units would march in the parade, checking with others that hadn't yet signed up and arranging a marching order – which bands and community groups will step off where and when.

Looking back at 2023: Scituate celebrates St. Patrick's Day

Kelly grew up in Weymouth, graduated from Weymouth North High School in 1973, moved to Scituate in 1982 and worked for the Scituate post office for 24 years, retiring in 2003. He has a sense of the community's history and enjoys fitting pieces of a puzzle together.

Months of hard work pay off each year when the parade is underway and he can watch all the people enjoying it, even if he is still running around.

How a parade master learns to think on his feet

Speaking about the parade's history at the Scituate Senior Center on Tuesday, he told two stories of how he had to learn to think on his feet as the parade's head.

In 1999, his first year, a high school band was not at its assigned location when it should have been joining the parade. Kelley looked around and saw the band off in the distance, still rehearsing on a field. He ended up running up the street, shouting "Get over here!"

In the other incident, two popular politicians, one from South Boston, the other local, arrived and joined the ongoing parade, greeting the crowd, stopping to talk, enjoying the exposure. Soon a big gap opened in the parade with no one coming by. Further along the route, Kelley waited, and waited, as did the crowd. He had to run backwards along the route until he found the two and urged a faster pace.

Here's how & where to watch the parade go by

This year's parade is Sunday, March 17, from 1 to 4 p.m. The website weloveaparade.com has many details about the event, its fundraising and history.

The parade kicks off from Veterans Memorial Gym at 327 First Parish Road (the old Gates Intermediate School) next to the Senior Center and heads to First Parish Road. It takes a left onto Front Street, past Scituate Harbor, onto Beaver Dam Road, and right onto Jericho Road, where the parade ends at 44 Jericho Road, near the intersection of Hatherly Road.

Celebrate this year: The South Shore is a hotbed of Irish culture. These 5 events celebrate St. Patrick's Day

This year, the parade will have two pipe and drum bands along with 15 other musical acts (a few less than usual because the parade is actually on St. Patrick's Day and groups are in demand). There will be several floats sponsored by business and neighborhood groups.

Be careful where you park. Don't get towed!

On March 17, starting at 10 a.m., there will be "No Parking" areas all around Scituate Harbor; cars parked illegally will be ticketed and towed. There will be no parking on Front Street, the parade route.

Starting at 11 a.m., people coming to see the parade are advised to use the parking lots at Scituate High School, where shuttle buses will offer transport to the starting area of the parade, and the parking lots at Widows Walk Golf Course, where shuttle buses will pick up and be dropping parade goers off at First Parish Road and Front Street.

There will be good spots to view the parade all along its route. The shuttle buses will begin taking people back to the two parking lots when the parade ends.

Fun facts you may not know

This favorite local tradition began as a small neighborhood parade in the Minot neighborhood, was soon expanded and taken over the Chamber of Commerce and is now run by a nonprofit board.

It has only been postponed three times in 25 years – twice due to snowstorms and once because Scituate High School was playing in the state hockey finals in Boston. (In 2015, it was delayed by a whole month because of 110 inches of snow and 4-foot-high drifts.)

The State Police send bomb-sniffing dogs to inspect the route and check out the marching units, right before the parade begins.

A police drone flies over the parade and is monitored from Scituate Harbor.

This year's parade has 70 sponsors and more than 100 groups or performers marching. (It is too late now to sign up.)

The fundraising has become a major part of the job. That's how Kelley can hire the marching bands, pay for police, fire and public works details, rent portable bathrooms, hire shuttle buses and print programs.

The work begins in early December.

Here's how Scituate pays for its parade

Kelley's fundraising goal this year is $65,000.

Neighborhood and nonprofit groups can march in the parade for free; others must pay. Businesses are charged a minimum of $250, politicians pay the $250 fee and, for $500, businesses can also have their logo on the parade website.

On March 16 at noon, the day before the parade, the traditional St. Pat's Plunge will be held at Humarock Beach.

Another fundraising event is a chance to borrow your own Irish pub – a tiny mobile building that looks like a traditional Irish pub. The winner must still supply the friends and the beverages. Go to www.tinypubs.com for more info.​

'These Irish mayors actually think they are mayor'

The annual "fictitious mayor of Scituate contest," in which contestants host events to raise money for the parade, has three contestants this year. Whoever drums up the most "votes" (dollars raised) is named "mayor." They each hold events beforehand, with donations, to raise the money.

This year, there are three candidates for mayor: Adam Barisamo, Patrice Maye and Cristina Curreri.

The winner of the mayor's contest will be announced at the Grand Marshal Dinner at the Drift In (Widows Walk golf course) on March 14 at 6 p.m.

Once the Scituate parade is over, Kelley can sit back and relax, but not for too long.

Next on his agenda? The 'Braintree Day' 4th of July Celebration, which Kelley has run for some 12 years.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Irish Riviera in Scituate ready to go with largest St. Patrick parade