Sussex County St. Patrick's Day parade set for March 11 in Newton

Newton - The St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee and the Ancient Order of Hibernians-Sussex County Division 1, St. Oliver Plunkett Division, will present the third annual Sussex County St. Patrick’s Day Parade starting at noon on Saturday, March 11 in Newton. The parade will “step off” down Spring Street and end at Memory Park. State, county and local dignitaries are expected to join a variety of marchers including representatives of local police and fire departments, and ambulance squads. Mayor Ailish Hambel of Sparta will serve as Grand Marshal. A pre-parade Mass will be held at 8 a.m. at St. Joseph’s R.C. Church, followed by a traditional Irish breakfast in the gym at St. Joseph’s School. The St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee of Sussex County, formed October 2003, meets monthly at 7:30 p.m., the first Thursday of the month, at Sullivan’s Gas Light Inn in Franklin. Committee members include Dennis F. Harrington, chairman, Dr. Paul Crowley, Ailish Hambel, Mary Harrington, Steve Oroho, George Denney, Joe Ryan, John L.Sullivan and Glen Vetrano. For information, call 973-827-9179. The Ancient Order of Hibernians is a Catholic, Irish-American fraternal organization founded in New York City in 1836. The order can trace its roots back to a parent organization of the same name, which has existed in Ireland for over 300 years. However, while the organizations share a common thread, the North American group is a separate and much larger organization.