JEFFERSONVILLE, NY — ‘Twas truly a fine afternoon to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, and what better way to wear the green than in a hometown parade.

On March 17, several hundred folks—of course all claiming to be Irish—turned out on a chilly afternoon to participate in the seventh annual event, sponsored by the local chapter of the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH) and the Jeffersonville Area Chamber of Commerce (JACC).

“If you’re lucky enough to be Irish… you’re lucky enough,” goes an old Irish adage, and a lot of folks took this to heart as they braved a windy day to watch the parade, perhaps reflecting on another ancient saying, “May the wind be always at your back.”

New York State Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther was there with her in-laws, including her father-in-law, Bertrand Raux of Paris, France, watching his first-ever St. Paddy’s Day parade in the United States.

Noting that her maiden name was Malone, and you can’t get a whole lot more Irish than that, Gunther said, “Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day is almost a religious holiday for us.”

Main Street was all aglitter with shimmering shades of green, as organizations marched and floats made their way to the firehouse: local fire companies, Jeff Bank, St. George Parish, St. Francis Parish, Mullally’s Tractor Supply, Skelly’s Towing, Dick’s Auto Sales, Brownie Troop 96, Ride 2 Survive, Rolling Thunder, Jeffersonville Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Roche’s Garage, Sullivan County Pageant, Firefighter McPadden Pipe & Drums (FFMPAD), all led by members of the local chapter of the Ancient Order of Hibernians.

The judges picked the float from St. George Parish and St. Francis Parish as “Best Float,” featuring a colorful array of balloons and waving young girls dressed in brilliant hues of homespun green haute couture.

Meanwhile, Martin Chevalier performed some Cirque du Soleil-like aerial moves, dangling from cables on the back of a tow truck from Dick’s Auto Sales as a giant leprechaun from Irish folklore.

Bill Moloney, president of the county’s AOH chapter, said the organization (originally founded in NYC in 1836) is based on “church, unity and brotherhood”.

For pictures of the St. Patrick’s Day Dinner in Yulan, see Community Living. For more photos, visit https://www.facebook.com/theriverreporter.