WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ- Record-breaking snow freezing over streets and cars in Boston may impact the date of its annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, one of the oldest and largest of its kind in the country. The news may affect the plans of some Monmouth University students eager to make the trek north for the parade on March 15, a date that falls within the school’s week of spring break.
According to her official website, Ms. G, the official state woodchuck, forecasted an early spring when she did not see her shadow on Groundhog Day. However, it does not seem that sunny weather will come soon enough to melt the snow and save the state capital’s famous annual event filled with floats, kilt-donning marchers, bagpipes, and green-tinted beer.
Melanie Hornberger has been preparing for a day trip to New England for the renowned St. Patrick’s Day Parade since the beginning of the year. A change or cancellation due to the snow might force the junior biology major to find a new place to celebrate. “I was kind of looking forward to making the trip up to Boston this year, going to the parade for the experience, and being Irish for a day,” said Hornberger. “I’d be kind of bummed if it was cancelled or postponed and if I had to change my plans. I know there aren’t many reasonable options to get the parade up and running on its normal route with all the snow, though.”
While Hornberger’s last statement may be true, City Council President Bill Linehan told the Boston Globe that there are a few workarounds, which he will discuss with parade organizers. According to him, the city could move the path of the parade to an area with less snow or adapt the original route to make it shorter.
President Linehan also suggested postponing the parade to a later date as an additional option, relating that a similar situation in previous years moved the parade back to April.
Regardless of what plan of action President Linehan and the parade committee decide to take, Daniel Lahaye, a Monmouth senior of Irish descent, firmly believes that snow should not impact the intended date. According to Lahaye,
if anything, the show must go on as a sign of respect to his Irish ancestors.
“St. Patrick’s Day is a national holiday,” said Lahaye. “It should be celebrated no matter what to appreciate the hard times the Irish went through.”
If the parade truly is buried under the snow, it would not be the first time this year that Boston had to cancel a significant public event due to inclement weather. The Boston Herald reported that earlier in February, heavy snowfall caused the city to postpone its victory parade for the New England Patriots after the team’s Super Bowl win.
Only time will tell whether the parade will be brought to the streets of Massachusetts’ capital as scheduled or meet the same fate.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISaYWC_Kwds&feature=youtu.be
