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63rd annual additional player Saint Patrick's parade
happens this weekend you'll see here on WGT why
and use a little preview what's going to happen we got three the key people
involved
we are here with the parade president for 2014 jane ka flinch a bad year
the grand marshal this year long time parade actress Roger donahue
and our 2014 Grand Colleen she was found thank you all for being with us and it
was a crazy busy week for you
madame president Jane Clough lunch value let me ask you this is an enormous
undertaking
hundreds of volunteers thousands of visitors to the city of Holyoke
what does it mean to you to be after I think 15 or more years on the pre
committee
head at this event its been amazing
it's a a great opportunity it is given me a chance to
see what it what the parade means to
people in Western Mass n people to come in from outta town for the big weekend
it's a
a great great time and being the voice in the face of the prayed for the past
year has been
a great a great experiences I've gotten to see other towns how they celebrate
and then they all talk about coming away ok in
that's the great great part of being president register you somebody told me
they think it's 49 or 50 years for you
on the pre committee your family's been involved years sign
archie your grandson Brian now with their the road race on Saturday which is
huge EU Japan
leading up to the parade and now you're gonna lead at all as the grand marshal
what's it mean to you I still can't believe it her
really was a shock to me there when it was announced
to in and
to go along with jane the people I've heard from
was amazing a people I work with
forty years ago I'm hearing from them
because to when I worked in Springfield and get transferred others frankly I
wound up in Boston
nope mister while those people but I'm hearing from
today but the best part is by twin brother and his family
coming from false California
for the weekend a leisurely with parades about is it about family
and it's about fine you were saying before we certainly Jane before we
started taping how much work it is new said
not if you make it fun it right in how do you do that though
how do you make it *** well that you headed to
you just don't take it too serious effort that I need some don't but
you know I found it but not taking it
20 serious I can enjoy it more you get everything that you need to get is a key
part
let's talk to our grand Colleen Sheila Fallon
student at Elms let me ask it being named grand coulee 90
we hear some of it from the young ladies who say you know a dream that this since
I was
a tiny little girl was it that way for you or was it kinda surprised absolutely
I think it to every little Irish girl stream that grows up in Holyoke
to be the grand carlene and like roger said you know when it happened I was
just
in shock you know my lifelong dream was actually happening and I just couldn't
believe it
now you attended a couple weeks so what I know the parade committees
call unofficially i guess im officially the lovin the allegations appear in
Westfield thats
that's really where people from all the different communities pre committees
and all the Colleen's come together what what was that like its its meeting all
kinds of folks involved
yeah it felt like such a privilege not only to me all the Colleen's but all the
different period committees in the area
and just to see are you know all of us that are
for filling our dream that are there to be the cali and representing our cities
in ourselves
and all the girls in the area let's go back to a parade president
jane ka flinch value will this has been a family tradition for you as well
when you're dead pop Coughlin famous and an award winner he was grand marshal
like thinkin
1993 92 okay so it
it's a tradition for your family as well it is it's
and in our family it's always been considered
its it's like Christmas and so that too it's Christmas without the presence it's
about as much work planning and having company command and family
come in but our family um has always loved
the parade always been a part of it my dad I remember when he was pre
coordinator
listening to him go out in the morning down when he was going to be going up in
if it was a snowy your cold rainy day my sister and I didn't get up to say
goodbye
it was a sunny day and the weather is going to be good we go out and say bye
dad and give them a hug is the one up
to his parade but now our daughters have their college friends coming back
and it's a great tradition I'm gonna ask you now
more than a decade on the parade committee you came on a time when it was
still
pretty much a a guy's club and now here you've climbed the ladder
you are the president you are in charge things have changed as the times have
changed
Legaspi it has it has and I think that
its the most of the Jetta prior generation would agree that
the women have made an impact on the committee and I think we
we bring a certain aspect to it that maybe wasn't there before
Roger let me ask you grand marshal
I know you've got family is said your brother coming back from california
don't get to see him very often and chiller
how big a crowd marching with you I know you've got a car as well for family
members
Islamiyah a pretty good number donahue's there well
only a couple marching with me here my wife will be in the car with me and my
two sons will be marching him that maybe one or two my grandsons
Boston will be with the family I'm a corner view Street Northampton Street
survey should say hi to that donahue's at that point row
definitely there later but he did bring up the well
represented well vs yet but let me
let me touch or grand Colleen again your student helms's we mention
what's what's the future hold we hope for Sheila Fallon what are you looking
to do
well after I graduate I do plan to around
get my masters in education as well from Mount
and then I really hope to be a teacher in the city of Holyoke it to where
I've grown up it's what has made me the person that I am
and I hope to stay there and you know live the rest of my life
me ask you one more question real quick you know you're on a float your elevator
little bit above street level
and a goatee the winds are a little heavier there are you ready to fight the
cold Sunday afternoon
I I hope so well I'll check the weather forecast every day hoping that the
temperature will go up a little bit
and but I'm with you I'm not going to take it however it is
well we thank you all for all the work you've done we thank you for being here.
parade president
Jane Coughlin Chevallier ard grand marshal Roger donahue
and rain coming for 2014 Sheila found have a great parade
here