Message from CWCA President Brian Shane
When people think of Ocean City, Maryland, their first thought is usually our most popular attractions: the beach and boardwalk. But in my opinion, there’s another massively popular event in Ocean City that comes really close in popularity. It’s been going strong here in Ocean City for decades. Here’s a hint: it’s the one day of the year when everyone’s Irish.
I’m talking, of course, about Ocean City’s annual St. Patrick’s Parade, one of my most favorite events. It’s special for me, not just as an OC resident, but as someone proud to celebrate my Irish-American heritage. My great-great-grandmother’s family emigrated from Belfast in the 1880s, and my family tree is now littered with the likes of McWades, O’Connors, Quinns, and Fitzgeralds.
St. Patrick’s parade weekend always feels to me like the unofficial end of our chilly off-season slumber, and a welcome step forward into springtime. Now, we certainly don’t always get spring-like weather — a few years back, the parade-day temperatures dipped into the low 30s, for example — but it doesn’t stop people from packing the town and throwing one doozy of a party.
Speaking of the luck of the Irish, we’re so lucky here in 2023 to have our parade back after three consecutive years without it. The COVID-19 pandemic forced a cancellation in 2020 and 2021. Then, organizers had to cancel in 2022 when we had nasty, un-parade-able weather.
Since 1980, the Delmarva Irish American Club has not only produced the parade, but has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for charitable efforts like scholarships for college-bound high-schoolers. With the parade back on track, so too, can the club resume its invaluable fundraising efforts for our community.
So, let’s raise a pint of Guinness and toast the return of a beloved tradition. If you need to find me at the parade March 11, I’ll be the one dressed in green. Slainte!
