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“Everybody told Nancy it couldn’t work,” says Tim Fox, director of new media at WSYR-Channel 9 and a longtime colleague of Duffy’s. “She just didn’t listen to any of that. She kept looking to anybody who would support her, and it just kept growing and growing.”
When the parade steps off Clinton Square at noon on Saturday, March 17, the spectacle will be quite unlike the first few years. “The parade got big,” remarks Dan Cummings, another of Duffy’s Channel 9 colleagues who will be anchoring the station’s live broadcast, from noon to 3 p.m. If you can’t make it to the parade and you miss the live broadcast, Channel 9 re-airs the entire three hours at 8 p.m. the same evening.
“It grew every year for about 10 years, with more floats and more bands,” says Cummings. “Probably 15 years ago, they maxed out: You can only have so many marchers in a three-hour parade along a fairly short route. So they started to add different element: sideline entertainment, the after-parade party, different types of floats. The committee has also de-emphasized the total-party atmosphere and that evolution has been welcome, too. It’s become more of a family event rather than a big party.”
While for some the party atmosphere that pervades parade day is part of its appeal, Cummings also thinks the change of seasons has something to do with the event’s popularity. “It has become, no matter the weather, no matter the date, an annual rite of passage from winter to spring. The parade is now a fixture; it will never go away. Parade day in Syracuse becomes that pivot point: It’s the first chance, most years, for people to blow out of doors and just celebrate the beginning of spring.”
Janet Higgins took over as president of the parade after Duffy died. She announced the parade’s theme, “Irish Roots in Ireland—Irish Spirits in Syracuse,” at a Jan. 12 press conference at Kitty Hoynes, 301 W. Fayette St. She also introduced this year’s grand marshals, Judge Charles T. Major Jr., and retiring Democratic county election commissioner Ed Ryan.
They will lead the parade as it travels four blocks down South Salina Street before turning onto West Onondaga, where the Channel 9 remote truck will be located. It’s the spot where Duffy would leave the parade to head inside the truck and take up anchoring duties. And while no one would argue with her passion for the parade, sometimes she would forget which set of headphones she was wearing.
“Nancy would always march and when the parade got to the Hotel {Syracuse}, she would peel off and sit in the truck with the other host {for 28 years, Dan Cummings},” relates Fox, who again will be the street reporter for this year’s parade. “Every once in a while she would duck to the side and talk into the radio she had about some parade problem or another, and sometimes she would forget she was wearing a TV microphone when she did that.”
The oops-moments could be interesting, but they were never censor-worthy. Chalk it up to the luck of the Irish.
“We miss Nancy Duffy dearly,” notes Cummings. “She’s the real creative spirit still behind this. Her energy and her enthusiasm were always about this parade. She would set aside entire months to set up this parade. She would start planning the next year’s parade the day after the parade ended.”
—Molly English-Bowers
Party After The Parade
Anyone can admire a green, plastic hat or a pint of Guinness: After all, that’s what the spirit of the Syracuse St. Patrick’s Parade is all about. However, if you’re looking for something a little different—or for something to do after the parade—give these events a try.
Coleman’s Authentic Irish Pub brings back the post-parade party with an Irish Hooley at the Nicholas J. Pirro Convention Center, 800 S. State St. Dennis Coleman, general manager at Coleman’s, 100 S. Lowell Ave., for the past five years, hopes this blowout will be as memorable as the historic parade parties held for years at the Hotel Syracuse. “It’s bringing back an old tradition on parade day,” says Coleman, who expects 2,000 revelers.
The Irish Hooley isn’t waiting for the marchers to complete their tour down South Salina Street. The Hooley runs from noon to 6 p.m., and Flyin’ Column, a traditional Irish band based in Syracuse, plays from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the venue’s Grand Ballroom. New Day, a country, funk, pop and rock group also from Syracuse, will contribute more Irish music from 4 to 6 p.m., also inside the Grand Ballroom.
The Tom Dooley Choraliers, a Syracuse-based Irish singing group, and the Syracuse Scottish Pipe Band follow the bands on a second stage. Irish step dancers from McDonald Ashford Academy of Irish Dance and Francis Academy of Irish Dance will also be performing, as will fiddlers.
A fun promotion will allow visitors to win a pot of gold or, more specifically, $10,000. “But there’s no guaranteed
winner,” says Janice McKenna of Warne-
McKenna advertising agency. She adds that guests have to guess the exact
number of coins inside the pot in order to win. Children can enjoy face
painting, balloon animals and crafts.
Admission includes free parking at the Oncenter garage, across from the convention center. Adult admission is $15, and includes a corned beef sandwich; children ages 5 to 12 get in for $5, which includes chicken tenders; ages 4 and younger are free. Beverages will be available for an additional cost. For more information, call 476-1933.
Landmark Occasion
After going dark the past few years, the Landmark Theatre, 362 S. Salina St., brings back its parade party, with music from the Frenay and Lenin, from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Doors open at 10 a.m. and music will continue until the parade ends, around 3 p.m. The Channel 9 broadcast will be showing as well. Admission for the event is $3, and alcohol will be served.
Family Fun
The Everson Museum of Art, 401 Harrison St., is hosting Family Day on Saturday, March 17, noon to 4 p.m., in the sculpture court. Museum public relations director Sarah Massett says a main feature of the event includes holiday-themed sculpting. She describes one activity during which children can learn how to make a pot of gold with a rainbow using cotton balls, pipe cleaners and other recycled materials. “It’s a fun way to get into the spirit,” Massett says. Children can also draw a portrait or have an artist draw one for them. All activities for Family Day are free.
A special Irish exhibit at the museum, From New York to Corrymore: Robert Henri and Ireland, will be free to children 18 and under when attending Family Day. Regular admission for the exhibit is $10 for adults; $8 for seniors, military and students; free for Everson members and children younger than 5. For more information, contact the Everson at 474-6064.
If you’re looking to kick off your holiday week early, the Everson is hosting “Stories from Tipp Hill” in Hosmer Auditorium on Thursday, March 15, 6:30 p.m. An exploration of the Irish community in Syracuse, the event features Jeff Costello and Dennis Heaphy, members of the Tipperary Hill Association who will spin yarns relating to Syracuse’s history.
—Kathleen Lees
From Hooley to Hockey
For St. Patrick’s Day, the Syracuse Crunch welcome a special guest at the same time they hope to raise funds to benefit Upstate Cancer Center. New York Giants Super Bowl XLVI champion and cancer survivor Mark Herzlich will attend the Crunch vs. Cancer game, being played against Adirondack. The puck drops inside the Onondaga County War Memorial, 515 Montgomery St., Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
During the summer before his senior year at Boston College, Herzlich was selected as a first-team all-America and named Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year. Herzlich sat out all of his senior year after being diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. Defying the doctor’s prognosis, Herzlich returned to football, starting in all 13 games at Boston College during the 2010-2011 season and signing with the Giants in July 2011. A linebacker, Herzlich played in 11 games with the Giants this past season.
A number of charity initiatives, including raffles for Herzlich-autographed Crunch jerseys and footballs, are planned to benefit Upstate Cancer Center. Fans will have the opportunity to meet Herzlich at an autograph signing in Memorial Hall during the first intermission. A limited number of VIP packages are available; they include tickets to the game and passes to an exclusive meet-and-greet with Herzlich prior to the game, with a percentage of each package benefiting Upstate Cancer Center.
Tickets to the game cost $14 to $18; the VIP package costs $250 for 10 or $500 for 20. For more information, call 473-4444.
Topping Tipp Hill
Every St. Patrick’s Day you can count on overflow crowds at Coleman’s Irish Pub. Proprietor Peter Coleman’s family would annually erect a temporary canopy outside the door to provide a sheltered space for those left outdoors when the famous saloon reached maximum capacity. But this year a new, permanent pavilion will welcome revelers for St. Pat’s and beyond, becoming the latest improvement in Tipp Hill’s anchor business.
The 47-by-93-foot shelter, a few feet above the sidewalk, has been carved out of one corner of the upper parking lot, with landscaping on the bank below adding to its charm. The roof is supported by sturdy steel beams, providing a sense of stability that was precarious in the past when stormy weather buffeted tents set up as auxiliary party space. “It won’t be completely finished by St. Patrick’s Day,” reveals general manager Dennis Coleman, “but it will be finished enough to use.”
During the warm weather, the new structure will host outdoor events with live music. “With the pavilion, we can do it better,” Dennis Coleman explains. “People will be able to see the band better. It will open it up.”
A wide variety of parties and receptions may also be in the future under the new roof. “After 10 years, we think it’s going to work,” Coleman asserts. “We think it’s worth the investment.”
—Kevin Corbett
