Posts from March 2012

Updated: March 18, 2012, 9:37 AM

Buffalo's St. Patrick's Day Parade is serious business for Thomas Patrick Young. As a member of the United Irish American Association, Young has helped plan the milelong march for 22 years.

Today marks the 71st marching of the parade, which sports six divisions and 3,000 marchers. It is expected to draw from 100,000 to 150,000 spectators along Delaware Avenue from Niagara Square to North Street.

Young will be in charge of the 40 vendors who sell food and novelty items. You'll find him on a golf cart patrolling the route -- helping with crowd control and basking in Irish pride.

People Talk: You must have your hands full with vendors.

Thomas Patrick Young: Buffalo is not a mecca for vendors. While most of the food served curbside and at different corners is local, the novelty vendors are from other cities -- Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Binghamton -- throughout the Northeast. They start approaching me in January.

PT: What won't you allow them to sell?

TPY: Silly String, because of the cost of the dresses the dancers are wearing. They're $800 to $900 a piece. And we don't want Silly String on our black long coats and top hats.

PT: How many dancing groups do you have?

TPY: At least six. We have units spread out so it's not band after band, and not dancing group after dancing group.

PT: What about union after union?

TPY: We dedicate our third division to the unions. This year that division has 29 entries. It could be a record-setting year for floats this year. We have 20.

PT: Do marchers still throw out candy?

TPY: There's nothing to be thrown from any vehicle. We don't allow that. It's too dangerous. People still do it, but we try to stop it as fast as we can -- just like drinking [alcohol] by marchers in the parade. We tell them that we'll buy them a drink after the parade. We're looking for a parade that moves swiftly and smoothly. We don't like gaps. People may think the parade is over.

PT: What kind of floats do you frown upon?

TPY: Anything that is not a tribute to St. Patrick. Sunday starts with a Mass at St. Joseph's Cathedral that is dedicated to this year's grand marshal, Patrick Plunkett, and to my Aunt Catherine.

PT: How many judges are there?

TPY: Six. We have judges for floats and judges for groups. We actually hire a local judging company. We also have a trophy day for the winners, which is usually two weeks after the parade at the Irish Center.

PT: What float turns your head?

TPY: The Steelworkers. For years they had an 18-foot I-beam, and we were never sure whether it would make it under some of the wires on Delaware Avenue. It's much lower now -- probably 7 or 8 feet -- so there is no fear of ripping the street lights out.

PT: Tell me a parade fact.

TPY: What a lot of people don't realize is that we -- the [United] Irish American Association -- pay the bands to come in and play.

PT: How about a historical fact?

TPY: They didn't have a parade in 1941 because of the war.

PT: What role does weather play?

TPY: When the weather's bad, the parade is small. Less marching bands show up because of all their stuff. If you're coming out with your $2,000 trumpet, you don't want to have that out in the rain. We mark them down as no-shows.

PT: Does a no-show one year affect the group's placement the next year?

TPY: It depends on the nature of their group. If they're Irish dancers and have their little short outfits on and it's 6 below zero, we understand.

PT: Tell me about the grand marshal selection process.

TPY: A lot of it involves how long you've been with the parade committee. We also look at what you've done as far as donations. We are very selective about this because this person is going to wear the face of the parade this year.

PT: You wore the face of the parade in 2010, right?

TPY: I made it a once-in-a-lifetime day, my day in the sun. I had family in from all over the world. It was my dream.

PT: Do you have Irish setters?

TPY: I have a black Lab who is fully set up with a green collar and scarf for St. Patrick's Day. His name is Mister Murphy.

PT: Tell me about the parade cleanup brigade.

TPY: First, everybody who comes with horses is always equipped to clean up after them -- mandatory. You must have your own scoop. General clean up is usually done by volunteer eighth-grade groups. We have 20 Port-a-Johns.

PT: What do you do for fun?

TPY: I'm an avid golfer and bowler. As a young man, I had my heart set on being a pro bowler. I still bowl on a league every Monday night. I dedicate a lot of my time to work. My job is in the commercial collection industry in this volatile economy. We've actually replaced the steel industry with the collection industry in Buffalo. There are thousands and thousands of employees.
jkwiatkowski@buffnews.com