Bay Shore St. Patrick's Day Parade: Lots of green under blue skies

The sounds of bagpipes echoed through Bay Shore on Saturday afternoon for the annual Bay Shore-Brightwaters Saint Patrick’s Day Parade, which drew hundreds in shamrock green to the hamlet’s main thoroughfare.

Children waved at pipe and drum bands, vintage cars and colorful floats as they moved along the procession’s 1.6-mile path down Main Street toward St. Patrick’s Church. A total of 71 groups, including more than a dozen bands, took part.

Meghan Finnerty has attended the parade since its inception, and her husband Mike’s father and grandfather were both former grand marshals for the event. Now, she watches the parade with her four children.

“It’s just a really fun day,” said Finnerty, 40, of Islip. “It brings the town together.”

The Bay Shore-Brightwaters parade started in 2001 and has had a “resurgence” after a pandemic-triggered break, said Rory Allen, one of the parade organizers.

Allen, whose father was a grand marshal in 2004, said the committee that helps put the parade together has become a multigenerational effort, with residents taking on the responsibilities their parents once held.

“Everybody plays a crucial role,” Allen said.

With bright skies and springlike weather on Saturday, Allen said the event was destined to be successful.

“I like when the weather is right and everybody shows — those are my two favorite things about the parade.”

Bob Hanley, 70, of Patchogue, was dressed in a head-to-toe suit of Irish colors. His beard was sprayed to match the colors of the Irish flag.

Hanley attends more than a half-dozen St. Patrick's Day parades each year and said "the people" is what makes them special.

Families lined the parade route, with some children wearing shamrock-shaped glasses and green bead necklaces.  

Veronica Santana, 4, gave a thumbs-up to a marching band as it passed. Her mother, Lisa Ann Santana, 38, of Bay Shore, said she brings her daughter to give her a connection to the area.

"I hope she can see that there's community, that we're all connected," she said. 

Denise Gibson, this year’s grand marshal, said it was an honor to be selected to lead a parade for which she has spent years volunteering and fundraising. She said it was important to her that the event raised money for numerous charities.

“It just truly is all about community,” Gibson said. “We take care of each other.”

Driving a green 1967 Checker Marathon down the parade route, Conner Brown, 40, of Bay Shore, said the gathering to him was a celebration of Irish heritage and the community. The parade is "a good reason to get together," he said.  

"It doesn't happen enough, so when it does, it means something," Brown said.