Kings Park holds second St. Patrick's parade

Kings Park got a jump-start on St. Patrick's Day Saturday, hosting a parade that featured more than 100 local organizations, including 16 bagpipe bands.

The rain paused and the sun peeked out for the noon start of the festivities at the corner of Lou Avenue and Pulaski Road.

Decked out in green, revelers admired the dozens of antique cars, hand-decorated floats and polished fire engines lining the streets.

John Braun, 33, a seventh-grade science teacher from East Northport, sported a green vest and Mohawk dyed to match.

For good measure, a shamrock was shaved into the back of his strawberry blond hair -- though he stressed the decoration was done for the St. Baldrick's Foundation cancer charity.

Braun, who is Irish, said he came to visit his parents and listen to the bagpipers.

"I heard the parade was a good time," he said.

The parade, in its second year, is a good fit for Kings Park, said organizer Colleen Grady.

For an area with a proud Irish population, a family-oriented St. Patrick's parade made sense.

Last year, she said, there were less than 80 organizations involved and 13 bagpipe bands.

Grady and other organizers raised $50,000 to pay for permits, insurance and entertainment this year, fueling the event's growth.

East Northport resident Joe Flanagan was clad Saturday in traditional Irish attire for his role as a drummer in the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 25 band.

Flanagan, 53, is one of the band's founding members, a first-generation American whose parents emigrated from Ireland.

"Being Irish and there being a lot of music in my family, it's emotional," he said.

Grady said the parade has enabled families from Kings Park and its vicinity to celebrate their heritage, while also giving a boost to local businesses.

"For us, it really builds a lot of community pride and spirit," she said. "It's been fantastic for the town."