Blue Devil Band to March in St. Patrick’s Day Parade
A crowd expected to reach 50,000 will jam Huntington village to see this Sunday’s St. Patrick’s Day parade, which will feature the Blue Devil marching band, just as it has for nearly three-quarters of a century.
This year’s parade will step off at 2 p.m. just north of the Huntington train station, at Church Street and New York Avenue, near Walgreens. Participants will march down to Main Street and then head west toward St. Patrick’s School. Streets will be clogged with local folks and out-of-towners that make a habit of coming each year. The grand marshal of the 2009 parade is local attorney Jim Matthews.
Sponsored by the local chapter of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, who organize, promote, run and raise the monies needed to pay for expenses, the parade is a festive occasion, made more so by the booming sounds of the Blue Devil band, which this year includes about 130 students.
The Blue Devil marching band will be decked out in its snappy blue and white uniforms and will include the color guard. The band was organized in 1934 by high school music teacher James C. Doty. The school’s student council raised the initial monies needed to buy the first band uniforms.
“The Huntington High School marching band has been part of the parade for as long as anyone can remember, certainly longer than any other band in the parade,” said AOH President Dominick Feeney, Jr., whose family founded the local chapter more than 60 years ago. “It's a wonderful tradition and we are fortunate that we have such a committed group who in early March, no matter the weather, will march up Main Street with their distinctive Huntington logo."
The parade will also feature other bands from around the region, including distinctive bagpipe bands. No other Long Island parade can match the line-up of bands that participate in the Huntington event. “We work hard to make sure the St. Patrick’s Day parade is a wonderful Huntington community event,” said Mr. Feeney.
Huntington AOH members will follow their long custom of marching in snazzy gray morning suit tuxedos. “We take a great deal of pride in putting on the parade,” said Mr. Feeney, whose grandfather founded the local chapter.
In all, about 80 different bands and groups will be marching in the parade, said Richard McGrath, standing chairman of the parade. But, the Blue Devil marching band is always one of the biggest draws and never fails to elicit a big roar from the crowd. The Huntington parade was one of the first public events the band played at when it was founded.
The Huntington St. Patrick’s Day parade dates back to the early 1930’s. It was sponsored by the Irish American Club during its early years before the founding of the AOH, which later took over the event. Except for the war years of 1942-45, the parade has continued uninterrupted.
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