On Friday, March 17, downtown Augusta will host the Irish American Heritage Society’s 45th annual St. Patrick Day Parade at 2 p.m.
Proceeding rain or shine, the parade will start its traditional route from the James Brown Arena down onto Telfair Street. From Telfair, the parade will turn right onto 11th Street and then make another right to continue down Broad Street, where the parade will eventually end at the intersection with 6th Street.
“This year we’re expecting probably our biggest crowd as far as spectators go, and we have the most entries with things getting more and more popular every year,” said Parade Chairman Tyler Snead. “We’re expecting the parade to be quite large as well as the crowd.”
With a grand group of shiners traveling to participate from the Augusta Shrine Club, and additional contributors bringing Go Karts and various other vehicles, Snead said the parade would include a lot of exciting floats.
This year’s parade will also feature dignitaries such as Grand Marshal Brian Timothy Leonard Sr., and Irish Lady of the Year Theresa Mokray Gasser. The Julian Vaughan “Sonny” Casey family was announced the 2023 Family of the Year.
Snead said this year’s event was even more meaningful to him than past parades, because his family is happily part of the society’s Family of the Year.
“It’s going to be really interesting running the parade and also celebrating with my family,” he said. “My grandfather was a charter member of the society, and our families have remained active within the society ever since, so I’m a third generation society member.”
According to Snead, the society began the tradition of awarding a Family of the Year to honor actively involved families, and showcase the Irish community’s commitment to their heritage.
“It’s an honor to be associated with [past] families … It’s really just our society’s way of recognizing certain individuals and families that go above and beyond every year,” he said. “Especially in the case of the Grand Marshal and the Irish Lady of the Year, these are people who have lived a life that shows the values which our society stands for.”
With memories of witnessing the parade as a young boy alongside his great-aunt and grandparents, Snead shared how the parade has always been an annual staple in his life.
“[They] would help us skip school to go down there and celebrate with our family,” he said. “My role as a chairman is just to make sure this thing keeps going on for my daughters, and for my nieces and nephews, so that one day they can look back on it.”
Snead also said he believed the parade was important because it not only helped the area economically by bringing a huge number of people downtown, but it also uplifted a united sense of community amongst various people.
“People from all walks of life come together to enjoy the same show,” he said. “You can have a guy that’s a multi-millionaire standing there next to someone who doesn’t have two pennies to rub together, and everybody’s having a good time.”
Snead said he openly invites anyone, Irish or not, to come out and enjoy the parade, because “everyone’s Irish on St. Patrick’s Day.”
“It’s really just a big party downtown,” he said. “Everyone will be out wearing green, and the city also hosts a party in the Commons afterwards. So, even if you can’t claim Irish ancestry, who cares – you might as well enjoy the day, and come celebrate with us.”
For more information about the parade, visit: https://www.iahsaugusta.com
