Left to right: Denise Quinn, Mark Hanrahan, Paul Sawyer, and Jack Quinn. The four of them have volunteered many hours to build the float behind them at the Westfield Gas & Electric headquarters. (Photo by Peter Currier)
WESTFIELD- The annual Saint Patrick’s Day parade is Sunday, and one of the largest floats by the Sons of Erin Irish heritage organization has been revealed.
The Sons of Erin float, which will be a part of Westfield’s segment of the parade, is called, “Tell Me a Story.” It is themed with characters and likenesses of classic children’s and fantasy books such as Harry Potter, The Hobbit, Madeleine, Rapunzel, Dumbo, and Where the Wild Things Are, among others.
“We’re doing this for the kids,” said Mark Hanrahan, chairman of the Float Committee, “This is not for the 20-somethings hanging out and watching from their balcony.”
Each float in the parade falls under one of four categories of general themes: Irish, patriotic, religious, or open. Despite being an organization dedicated to Irish heritage, the Son’s of Erin float falls under the broader ‘open’ category. However, their float does feature a Leprechaun and a primarily green floor as an homage to the holiday.
On the float will be the Sons of Erin’s 2019 Colleen Contest winner, Hannah Jury, and her court, Shaunessey Lambert, Maura Wurster, Kaitlin Sicard, and Fionnuala Matthews.
The theme and design of the float was conceptualized and created by Denise and Jack Quinn, who began working on the project in June. The construction of the float and its pieces took place largely in the headquarters of the Westfield Gas and Electric, who has been a major sponsor of the float for 30 years, and is one of four current major sponsors.
“We are very thankful for their help,” said Hanrahan.
The other three sponsors include the Sons of Erin Ladies Auxiliary, Sarat Ford, who donates a pickup truck to pull the float through the parade route, and the members of the Sons of Erin who donate to the organization.
Hanrahan said that between Denise and Jack Quinn, and the other volunteers such as Paul Sawyer, more than 1,500 man hours have gone into the construction of the float. Several parts of the float can move via compressed air and motors as well. The parts include the wings of the dragon and the arm of the wizard in the back, among others. Denise was given the wooden and motorized frames of each of these pieces to begin creating the characters that will be seen on Sunday.
The parade itself takes place in Holyoke. Each city participating in the parade will start the route in a certain order. Holyoke will go first with Westfield starting soon afterwards. The parade begins at noon at the Kmart Plaza on Route 5 in Holyoke. The route will eventually take the parade past Holyoke High School and will end at Holyoke’s City Hall. The route is approximately 2.5 miles and should take an estimated three-and-a-half to four hours according to Jim Laverty.
