St. Patrick's Day 2013 is approaching and several towns are putting on parades with bagpipers, drums, floats and clowns. Wear something green and bring the camera!  Ocean County St. Patrick's Day ParadeSaturday, March 9 at noon.   Seaside Heights will swell with Irish pride as thousands of visitors are expected to watch Ocean County's largest St. Patrick's Day parade. The day is also the grand opening for many bars and clubs closed since Hurricane Sandy. Rumson St. Patrick's Day ParadeSunday, March 10 at 1 p.m.Seven pipe and drum bands, step dancers, floats and hundreds of participants. Grand…

For blocks, the blare of sirens filled Belmar as fire truck after fire truck paraded down Main Street. These first responders were among the heroes who in many cases left their own homes' devastation to save others from the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, officials said, kicking off the 40th Belmar Lake Como St. Patrick's Day Parade Sunday. Lining the trucks end to end was longer than the parade route. But at the beginning, dozens of the first responders marched to kick off the parade at 12:30 p.m. A special ceremony of parade chairpersons, local fire officials and freeholders ushered in a …

Policing an influx of an estimated 90,000 visitors to Belmar on parade day did not go without incident for Belmar Police, who had made four arrests by evening and responded to pedestrians struck. Belmar Police Chief Thomas Palmisano said two pedestrians were struck by a vehicle at Route 71 and 16th Avenue in Belmar, requiring transport to Jersey Shore Medical Center before 10 p.m. Sunday. The police chief said the two pedestrians were conscious, but one had a reported head injury. First responders remained on the scene after 10:30 p.m. as traffic continued to slow. The names of the victims …

The parade is over, but the Irish pride and fun continue late into tonight. The 40th annual Belmar Lake Como St. Patrick's Day Parade was cause for plenty of celebration, and we've compiled some photos and video of the parade route. Check out images of the pipes and drums, marching bands, Sons of the Sheleighleigh, fire trucks and floats in the parade, as well as the throngs of parade-goers lining the curb and sidewalk down Main Street. Stay informed of the latest Manasquan-Belmar area news by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter and subscribing to our newsletter.

Main Street in Belmar is now officially closed for the St. Patrick's Day Parade. Vehicles will be detoured off Main Street from 18th to the bridge from now until after the parade, which is scheduled to begin at 12:30 and last more than three hours. However, another Belmar north-south corridor is open for the day. Ocean Avenue, closed since Hurricane Sandy and now a construction zone, is open for the day to accommodate traffic. The road is currently open. For more traffic information on parade day please visit the parade route map here or this live traffic map. Stay informed of the latest …

Now in it's 40th year, the Belmar Lake Como St. Patrick's Day Parade has had plenty of practice getting ready: painting a green stripe down the parade route, approving street vendors, coordinating police presence as thousands of paradegoers swell into Belmar. But while this year's parade features many of the familiar signs of Irish pride and celebration the festivities are known state-wide for, this year also meant readying a borough dramatically impacted by Hurricane Sandy. And despite the continued rebuilding of the borough's waterfronts, boardwalk and infrastructure, Belmar declared it was…

The parade route for the Belmar-Lake Como St. Patrick's Day Parade on Sunday is similar to previous: a jaunt north on Main Street from Lake Como. Marchers, pipes and drums, civic groups and other paraders will check in and awaiting staging prior to the 12:30 p.m. kick-off of the parade. Businesses and homes near the parade route are known to have front-lawn festivities and viewing stations to help celebrate the massive swell of Irish pride, but the curb is still the place to get the best view. Attendees are expected to line up early for the best spots along the parade route, which starts at …

Finding parking in Belmar and Lake Como for Sunday's St. Patrick's Day Parade requires a lot of Irish luck. Demand is high, and NJ Transit encourages parade goers to instead travel by train. NJ Transit is offering extra rail service on the North Jersey Coast Line between Long Branch and Bay Head to accommodate parade goers with trains between 9:46 a.m. to 9:31 p.m. Children 11 and younger travel free on weekends with each fare-paying adult. NJ Transit announced this year, as in years past, the corridor will add rail trips for hour service throughout the day to accommodate demand to Belmar for…

There's another reason to toast this weekend: the Belmar-Lake Como St. Patrick's Day Parade turns 40. We put together a collection of videos from the Manasquan-Belmar Patch archives and from YouTube showing many a previous year in parades. And while some things never change (lots of green, and pipes and drums) the parade has grown to include new groups and attract more visitors over its history. Check out our video gallery and share your own photo or video memories from past parades.

One of the area's largest events is less than a week away: the Belmar-Lake Como St. Patrick's Day Parade is coming Sunday, March 3. Now in its 40th year, parade day is for many an earnest celebration of Irish heritage, but for others it's simply a reason to be celebrate being Irish for the day. What does the parade mean to you? Is it a community event showcasing the parading civic groups, pipes and drums and more, or a big town-wide party that draws thousands to the area... and clogs streets? What does the parade mean to you this year, as the Jersey Shore rebuilds does the parade take a …

Seeing few north-south corridors for the major influx of traffic for St. Patrick's Day, Belmar will open the hurricane-battered and under-construction Ocean Avenue for parade day. Currently construction crews are finishig piling work and advancing the boardwalk undersides and decking, and Ocean Avenue remains closed daily to accommodate Epic Construction's equipment and workers. Before then, the road was closed west of Ocean Avenue to both deter onlookers and cordon off one of the most damaged sections of Belmar after Hurricane Sandy. But for March 3, the day of the massive St. Patrick's Day …

It's never too early to plan for Saint Patrick's Day. Sunday fundraisers will begin for one of the area's largest Saint Patrick's Day parades, through Lake Como-Belmar. The $10 fundraisers each begin 2-6 p.m. on the coming Sundays, and feature the requisite bagpipers and in many cases a buffet. Here's the line-up for the coming weeks: Jan. 13:   St. Stephen's Green Publick House, Spring Lake Heights;  - 2-6 p.m., Bag pipes;   Hot & Cold Buffet;  Donation $10.00 Jan. 20:    Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh - Old Bridge; 3 - 7 p.m., Irish Music & FSOS pipes & Drums; Complimentary Drink and hot …

Thousands represented their towns, their pride and their Irish heritage at the 38th Annual Belmar-Lake Como St. Patrick's Day Parade along Main Street on Sunday.   A long line of war veterans and other organizations proudly marched down Main Street on a sunny but slightly chilly day, including the Belmar and West Orange chapters of the Friendly Sons of The Shillelagh. Many used scarves and blankets to keep warm at the annual parade. But the chilly weather did not stop thousands of people from celebrating. Many Irish enthusiasts dressed in St. Patrick’s Day hats, necklaces, scarves and more. …

Thousands represented their towns, their pride and their Irish heritage at the 38th Annual Belmar-Lake Como St. Patrick's Day Parade along Main Street on Sunday. 

It's almost here. Sunday's St. Patrick's Day Parade in Belmar and Lake Como is set to kick off at 12:30 p.m., but organizers still have a few fundraisers planned for the weekend leading up to the Irish celebration. On Friday, The Riverview Pavilion in Belmar will host "An Evening of Irish Culture." The program begins with traditional Irish music followed by "old timing," foot-stomping American music with Irish roots. Performances will be by Trinity Band, Thomas Wesley Stern Band and Round the House Band.    Tickets are $60 to March 1. No tickets will be sold at the door. Includes hors d'…

In order to accomodate the extra traffic heading to the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Belmar on Sunday, NJ Transit plans to add eleven additional rail trips to its March 4 schedule. The rail service has scheduled an additional five northbound and six southbound trips between Long Branch and Bay Head this Sunday to accomodate parade-goers, NJ Transit said in a release. The increase in service means trains will stop in Belmar every hour this Sunday, the release says. The last northbound train out of Belmar is scheduled for 11:54 p.m., and the last southbound trip out of town is scheduled for 1:08…

Belmar's governing body on Monday adopted an amendment to its alcohol ordinance that allows liquor stores to be open on Sunday mornings. The mayor and council held a special meeting to adopt the measure, which received a 5-0 affirmative vote, so licensed alcohol distributors could sell packaged goods beginning at 10 a.m. on Sundays -- just in time for the St. Patrick's Day Parade on March 4. When the governing body amended the borough's alcohol ordinance earlier this month allowing restaurants to serve drinks on Sunday mornings, they inadvertantly failed to include liquor stores. Mayor …

Whether they were Irish or not, crowds gathered at local watering holes to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.

Two bagpipers from the Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh of the Jersey Shore greeted students arriving at St. Rose Grammar School this St. Patrick's Day with traditional Irish music. Youngsters dressed in green arrived at the school and enjoyed this morning's beautiful weather as the sound of the pipes drifted through the air. Today's weather forecast: Abundant sunshine throughout the day with a few passing clouds. The high temperature is expected to reach 62 degrees. Partly cloudy skies are on tap for tonight with a low of 47 degrees. Friday will see more sun and a high temperature near 69 …

Since childhood, I was always fascinated with the ornate whiskey crock that sits in the center of my parents' china cabinet. It was a gift for their wedding, my mother would later explain, from a cousin who worked in a liquor store. The white ceramic, kettle-shaped crock bore the name Dunphy's. While it's not an entirely uncommon last name, Dunphy isn't one that is heard very often and as such, we Dunphys attached ourselves with pride to mentions of it in popular culture.  When ABC's "Modern Family" became a breakout hit, I assured fans of the show that it was due in no small part to one of …