Albany's St. Patrick’s Day Parade is Saturday. Speaking at Albany Police Headquarters Wednesday, Mayor Kathy Sheehan says this year's march will be a little bit different.
Sheehan says the city will again host two "family friendly" parades. "The North Albany parade will begin at 11 a.m. That's a half hour earlier than last year. So 11 a.m. on the dot .We will be marching from the north Albany American Legion post on North First Street. And then after that the 73rd annual St. Patrick's Day parade will begin at 2 p.m., as always. But we're going to start in a little bit of a different location. That parade is going to be starting at the corner of Central and Lexington, that’s Central and Lexington, and it'll continue east on Central Avenue on to Washington Avenue past City Hall and down State Street. We will turn on to State Street and the parade will end at the M&T Bank,” said Sheehan.
Department of General Services Commissioner Sergio Panunzio says his staff has been getting barricades ready and making sure the parade routes are clean. “The weather is gonna hold up hopefully, we're gonna have great weather, great parade a good time. We ask everyone to be good neighbors minded the steps and the stools if you're going to use the steps and the stools installed along the parade route, we ask you to pick up your garbage and put it to nearby garbage cans. There’s going to be additional garbage can place during the parade route. And enjoy the day,” Panunzio said.
Fire Chief Joseph Gregory says city residents to be mindful of road closures. "We all know that parade day in Albany is a festive and exciting day. We ask that everyone celebrates safely and responsibly before, during and after the parade. We know there'll be large crowds along the parade route and into downtown as well as additional vehicle traffic when the parade and so please be a little extra cautious for pedestrians. As we always say safety is no accident. The Albany Fire Department will be fully staffed all day and all night to respond to and assist with any medical emergencies or any safety concerns that might occur," Gregory said.
Police Chief Eric Hawkins offered assurance to people who might be nervous about attending the parades, saying “if you see something, say something.”
“When we address a lot of these things at some of these major events, it’s because somebody saw something and they told us about it. So we're advising everyone, we'll have officers at all of the major intersections. They'll be available, let us know. But we also have a lot of things going on behind the scenes with some of our Special Operations units. And we also have contacts with law enforcement agencies, federal, state and other locals helping us out as well.” Hawkins added "It's a compacted route that we'll have this year so advising anyone coming to the parade, arrive early. Find parking, be patient. Follow the any of the instructions that are given by officers. We will have officers at all of the major intersections along the parade route. Open containers of alcohol are prohibited."
The United Irish Societies of the Capital District is responsible for keeping the parade active. It represents eight Irish organizations. Spokesman and Parade Chair Peter McCoy says a committee holds weekly sessions focusing entirely on the parade. "We meet down at the Legion hall down on First Street down in Albany every Tuesday night since January 1st all the way to this past Tuesday. So it's a lot of work. It's a year round thing. We do a lot of fundraising at different times. We have a cruise in August, down the Hudson River. That's our first kickoff and then we have other events throughout the year to help raise money," McCoy said.
Sheehan gave a nod to the "behind the scenes" effort that makes the parades possible. “This is an all-volunteer effort. And this parade would not happen without the organizations that that sponsor it, from not just the city of Albany, but from all over the region. It also takes a lot of hard work on the part of city employees who have a hand in planning the event and preparing for it , and in making sure that we have everything in place to have a safe and family friendly environment,” said Sheehan.
