1ST ANNUAL ST. PATRICK'S DAY PARADE A HUGE SUCCESS!

Hundreds of people lined Broadway in historic Jim Thorpe, PA for the 1st Annual Saint Patrick's Day Parade on March 15th. Over 60 bands and organizations took part in the parade as onlookers cheered them on.

The parade made a stop at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church where the church's Pastor and AOH member Msgr. John Chizmar offered a blessing on the parade. Marchers also paused at the Old Jail Museum to pay tribute to the four members of the Molly Maguires who were hanged there in 1877.

Despite a few snow squalls, onlookers were excited about the parade and cheered the many parade participants. Some of the biggest cheers went to the McCune School of Irish Dancing, Pottsville, as members displayed their talents in a small presentation in front of the reviewing stand at the Inn At Jim Thorpe. The Camden County NJ Emerald Society Pipe & Drum Corps was also a big hit, as was the Lackawanna Valley Pipe Band from Lackawanna County and surrounding area.

The Grand Marshalls for this parade were Owen McClafferty, Keith McCall, and Patrick Campbell. The Aides to the Grand Marshalls were Bernadette McGinley, Jean O'Donnell, and Joan O'Donnell-Pompa.

Our thanks go out to the many men and women who made this parade a complete success in just about every area. Special thanks to Parade Committee Chairman Ronald Sheenan, who has agreed to take the reigns again for the 2nd Annual parade in 1999.

More thanks to all the bands and organizations who marched, to our brothers and sister Hibernians who joined us this day, to all those who watched the parade and made it the highlight of your St. Patrick's Day celebrations. So may people have worked very hard to bring this parade to fruition, and we appreciate all the positive calls and letters we have been receiving as a result. We hope you'll join us in 1999, when we will hold the 2nd Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade on Sunday, March 14th. We hope to see you there!

Submitted by James G Logue, Jr., Public Relations Director