Group Seeks Hoboken Community Feedback in Returning Tradition to Stimulate Local Businesses in Family Friendly Way
HOBOKEN, NJ – The Hoboken Business Alliance (HBA) is calling on residents and business owners to provide their feedback in an online survey to gauge interest in bringing back the once-annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. A tradition until 2011, the St. Patrick’s Day parade marched down Washington Street bringing with it a celebration of Irish culture and tradition to multiple generations of Hoboken residents and visitors.
“We believe that by working hand in hand with Hoboken officials, small business owners, and the still strong and fiercely proud Irish American community that calls Hoboken home, we can recreate the best parts of the parade,” Roxanne Earley, Executive Director of the Hoboken Business Alliance, said. “In order to do that we need the input of every corner of our community, and that’s why we are promoting this survey.”
The St. Patrick’s Day Parade represents an exciting opportunity to bring crucial economic stimulation to countless small businesses across the city, namely bars and restaurants, in the early part of the year when business is often slow. In recent years, the rise of ‘con’ events has filled this gap in a less culturally respectful and less community-friendly way. Under initial plans being proposed by the HBA, a stipulation of bringing back the parade would be that bar owners would commit to refusing to participate in “Leprecon,” thus forcing the privately organized bar crawl to search for another host community. The goal of reconstituting the parade, Earley added, would be to bring economic benefit to a greater variety of businesses including bookstores, art galleries, and more family-oriented restaurants.
“Our city is widely known and appreciated for its variety of family-friendly events, like the Ragamuffin Parade and annual tree lighting,” James Runkle, President of the HBA, said. “We believe there is an opportunity to give the St. Patrick’s Parade back to our families and once again make the first Sunday of March one that celebrates the diversity and culture of Hoboken.”
“The Irish are known as great storytellers, something Kate and I, as owners of a beloved Hoboken bookstore, truly admire,” Donna Garban of Little City Books said. “This is something we know we can celebrate by bringing back the St. Patrick’s Day parade in a family-friendly way.”
“The rich history and culture of Ireland lends itself perfectly to the type of diverse programming we love to offer the Hoboken community,” Jennie Pu, Director of the Hoboken Public Library, said. “We’d love to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in a way that truly honors the contributions Irish immigrants and Irish Americans have made to Hoboken throughout the generations.”
“A large event that draws crowds in a family-friendly way on the first Sunday in March can help wake Hoboken up after a long winter when business tends to be slower,” Yoseline Galarza of Hoboken Hair said, adding that she has worked in Hoboken for over 20 years and always looked forward to the parade. “Bringing back the St Patrick’s Day, in a way that is respectful of all of our neighbors, makes sense.”
The survey will remain open until November 10 and can be accessed with this link: St. Patrick’s Day Survey.
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