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 UNION,
NJ--The 12th Annual Union County St. Patrick’s Day
Parade steps off
Saturday, March 15, 2008
at
1:00 p.m. sharp on
Morris Avenue in the Township of
Union, NJ, as thousands of marchers and spectators gather to celebrate the
patron saint of
Ireland.
9:00 AM - Thornsticks Mass at Saint Patrick's Church in Elizabeth and a
welcoming reception in the Church Hall after Mass
12:00 Noon - Reviewing Stand Festivities - Morris & Stuyvesant Avenues in
Union
The "Kid's Zone" fun for all ages --- Stuyvesant Ave.(just off Morris Ave.)
1:00 PM Sharp - The Parade begins
The Marching units gather at Morris Avenue and along Commerce and Jeanette
Avenues, the parade route proceeds east along Morris Avenue to a turn at the
Main Reviewing Stand and ends at Roosevelt Avenue
Come see the
march of bagpipe and high school bands, local police and fire department
units, floats and many more organizations through the center of
Union.
 Thanks to the efforts of the Union County St. Patrick’s
Day Parade Committee and some 17 organizations working behind the scenes
year-round, the Union County St. Patrick’s Day Parade has grown from drawing
10,000 spectators during its inaugural run in 1997 to more than 40,000
on-lookers last year. This 2007 Parade is dedicated to
New Jersey’s firefighters to honor them
for their commitment and extraordinary efforts in service to the community.
 In keeping with a parade tradition, officials from
Shannon,
Ireland will be
marching for the eleventh straight year. As guests of the Union County
Emerald Society, Shannon Mayor Tony McMahon, his wife
Carmel and Shannon Town Clerk Tomas
MacCornaic will join in the
Union
County celebration of St.
Patrick.
A Mass will be celebrated at St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church in
Elizabeth at
9 a.m. to begin the day followed by
a welcoming reception in the church hall.
 The family-friendly festivities kick off at
12 noon at the reviewing stand
located at the corner of Morris and Stuyvesant Avenues in
Union
Center with a warm Irish welcome
from parade officials, traditional Irish music and Irish step-dancing. The
one-mile parade will begin at
1 p.m. at
Commerce Street and
Morris Avenue, proceeding east on
Morris to
Union
Center and south onto
Stuyvesant Avenue, ending at
Roosevelt Avenue.
 This year, the parade will
also feature a Kid Zone presented by the Union County Business District.
The Kid Zone will feature inflatable rides, walk-around entertainers and
activities for the whole family. Located on Stuyvesant and Morris Avenues,
this new area of the festivities brings additional amusement for young
visitors, as well as the young-at-heart.
 The organizations that are represented on the parade
committee are based throughout
Union, Essex and Middlesex counties and include The
John Cryan Association, Thornsticks, The Irish-American Society of the
Township of
Union, the Friendly Sons of St.
Patrick, the Joseph Nugent Association, the Ancient Order of Hibernians in
Elizabeth, the Union County Emerald Society and the Union County
Irish-American Association. The parade also receives major support from such
sponsors as Union Center National Bank and Peerless Beverage.
For more information
about the Union County St. Patrick’s Day Parade please visit
www.unioncountystpatricksdayparade.com
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