Mary Jane McMahon came up with this year’s recycling theme for the 39th Sons of Erin float, “Take Nothing but Memories, Leave Nothing but Footprints.” (AMY PORTER/THE WESTFIELD NEWS)
WESTFIELD – Volunteers from the Westfield Sons of Erin met this past weekend to continue work on the 39th Holyoke St. Patrick’s Parade float, which will carry 2020 Colleen Brigid Mary Moriarty and her court.
“This year our float was inspired by the environment, being kind to the environment, showing the youth in a kid friendly way that being responsible to our environment is cool….so we are in the true sense of the word building a ‘green’ float,” said Mary Jane McMahon, who created this year’s theme, “Take Nothing but Memories, Leave Nothing but Footprints.”
In describing the story of the float, McMahon said the highlight is the whimsical “Celtic Tree of Life” which symbolizes strength, wisdom, longevity and rebirth.
“Pat the Leprechaun is fishing near his homestead, where he welcomes The Sons of Erin Colleen and her Court to help him Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Pat’s homestead is energized by Celtic solar panels; a rain barrel collecting raindrops, and a compost pot is filled to the brim with precious soil essential for his healthy garden to thrive.
“Our 39th float is unique in that it was primarily built with repurposed and recycled materials including plastic bottles, cardboard, cork, newspapers, scrap wood and old clothes to name a few. This colorful float should have great appeal to parade-goers of all ages,” McMahon said
Jeanne Pescitelli works on the eagle’s nest with her granddaughter, WIS sixth grader Colleen Pescitelli. (AMY PORTER/THE WESTFIELD NEWS)
Sixth grader Colleen Pescitelli, who was working on the eagle’s nest with her grandmother Jeanne Pescitelli, said the theme makes sense.
“With trash not being sent to China, this is a perfect example of what can be done with trash. `One man’s trash is another man’s treasure’,” she said.
“It’s been fun with the recycling theme; fun to think of ways to create without using plastics,” said Gail Britton, who was working on the “tree stumps” the Colleens will sit on. She said the stools are made out of paint buckets, and the fabric covering them dipped in wallpaper paste.
Shannon McGuill and Denise Kane were creating flowers out of plastic soda bottles and painting them in bright colors. They said some would hang from the tree and some will be displayed in the garden on the float.
Sarah O’Neil, who was hanging flowers on the tree, said she has been around the floats while they were being built since she was little. “Now I actually do something,” she said.
Eason Pan, a University of Hartford exchange student from Canton, and Sheila Conroy were creating a “solar panel” out of cardboard for the side of the float. This is the first float that Pan has helped to build.
Long-time volunteer Mike Conroy, considered the master builder by the crew, was inspecting the leprechaun’s house. In past years, Conroy has created pneumatics for the float, which are not being used this year.
McMahon said this is the first year without Denise and Jack Quinn, who have taken the lead on floats in years past. She said they did help create the bark on the tree, and in making the fairy and the birds for the float. She said a lot of past volunteers have retired.
Steve Collins and Tom Kane said the retired volunteers will be memorialized on the float with street signs with their names painted on them.
Altogether, the crew has spent nine weeks on the float, and now have another two weeks to go. The float will be featured in the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Sunday, March 22, beginning at 11 a.m.
