Organizers announce cancellation of
Bayside Saint Patrick’s Day Parade
BY JENNA BAGCAL
The Bayside Saint Patrick’s
Day Parade committee and the
Bayside Business Association
(BBA) announced their decision
to cancel the third annual
parade over growing coronavirus
concerns.
The cancellation follows
the Center for Disease Control
(CDC) recommendation to
cancel or postpone in-person
events involving 50 people or
more for the next eight weeks
in order to reduce the spread
of COVID-19.
“In light of the current situation
in our country related to
the coronavirus and its escalation
in recent days, we have
decided to cancel the Bayside
St. Patrick’s Day Parade
march scheduled for Saturday,
March 28,” BBA President Ed
Probst said in a statement.
“We would like to take the
opportunity to thank our sponsors,
without whom the parade
would still be a fledgling idea.
An immense amount of work
goes into the event every year,
from our golf outing to our
dinner dance and many fundraisers
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.8 COM | MARCH 20-MARCH 26, 2020
in between; all with
the goal of making the parade
down Bell Boulevard as enjoyable
as possible,” said the parade
committee on Facebook.
Prior to the parade’s cancellation,
organizers said that this
year’s event was dedicated to
the memory of Phil Brady, an
aide to the grand marshal who
passed away in October 2019.
The committee also recognized
the parade’s Grand Marshal
Eileen Flannelly Mackell
and Aides Tommy Mulvihill,
Robert Lynch, Joe Donovan,
John Golden, Tom Golden and
Father Chris Henue.
“The BBA wants to do our
part to practice safe social distancing
in an effort to combat
this disease. We look forward
to restoring normalcy in the
near future and seeing you at
a future event,” said Probst.
“If we’ve learned anything
over the past years it’s that our
country and particularly New
Yorkers are very resilient.”
Last week, Governor Andrew
Cuomo announced the
postponement of the New York
Saint Patrick’s Day Parade for
the first time in 258 years.
Reach reporter Jenna Bagcal
by e-mail at jbagcal@qns.
com or by phone at (718) 260-
2583.
A shot from the 2019 parade. Photo courtesy of the Bayside Saint Patrick’s Day Parade
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