Irish honor vets at St. Pat’s parade

By DAVID HULSE

YULAN, NY — Kelly green shared the stage with olive drab on Sunday as the sponsors of the Yulan St. Patrick’s Day honored some 22 area military veterans of World War II.

Members of the veterans’ contingent were jointly named as grand marshals of the 33 rd annual parade. Seated aboard a truck trailer, the grand marshals were warmly received by a crowd of more than 2,000 people crowding the hamlet’s four-corners.

Michael Frey, whose mother was a former parade marshal, borrowed liberally from Lincoln’s Gettysburg address in a statement honoring the group. “If it works, don’t try to improve on it,” said the local attorney.

The colorful, hour-long parade down Airport Road, which is annually renamed “Marion O’Neill Way” in honor of the parade’s founder, boasted floats and marching contingents from Orange, Pike and Wayne counties, in addition to local entries.

Top award winners included a living prizefight ring with boxers, titled “The Fighting Irish,” Countryside Plumbing’s battleship float, with air-powered cannons, and Honesdale’s Maple City Fife and Drum Corps.

The parade annually draws fire departments from as far away as Long Island and some 28 departments were represented this year. Yulan Fire Department judges named Wurtsboro firefighters as the best marching unit, determined that Kauneonga Lake had the best appearing apparatus and named the Neversink Company of the Port Jervis Fire Department as best overall.