By Julia Beauregard
Hometown Weekly Editor
The streets of downtown Walpole closed during the late morning hours on St. Patrick's day for the annual Friends of St. Patrick parade.
Walpole locals gathered on the sidewalks of Main Street to see the band of local citizens, representing the Friends of St. Patrick, parade down the street with banners for their organization and Irish flags in hand. They were followed by two little leprechauns, who leprechaun kicked (a heel kick) for the crowd's amusement and waved to the spectators, a barrage of sports cards, and members of the police department.
All the while, members of the Colonial Boys Band of Norwood played for the crowd, marching to the beats of their drum. The Colonial Boys Band was followed by trolleys, filled with locals.
The parade concluded at the intersection of Main Street and Common Street, where the spectators and parade participants gathered before a float where Board Member Donnell Murphy and Town Administrator Jim Johnson stood with Rich McCarthy, the person of the year.
“I want to thank you all for coming and thank you for being Irish!” Donnell shared with the crowd, before turning the microphone over to Johnson.
With his status as person of the year, McCarthy was presented with a key to the town by Johnson. Johnson spoke of McCarthy with the highest esteem, “Rich is one hell of a guy… he is always trying to raise money to give back to the community.”
McCarthy is a Walpole native; he was born and raised in the town and only left for four years during his service in the United States Air Force. He had a career in the town for over twenty years, working in various roles such as an Auxiliary Police Officer, a head custodian at Johnson Middle School, and on the Walpole Civil Defense Unit. RIch was also the former Board Chair at the Walpole Council on Aging and aided the COA in moving into the South Street Center.
Kerri McManama, COA director, reported that the COA was closing early that day, so staff and local seniors could attend the Friends of St. Patrick luncheon that occurred after the parade in McCarthy’s honor.
McCarthy is clearly a man to be celebrated and what a better day to celebrate than on St. Patrick's Day! On Behalf of Hometown Weekly, congratulations to Rich McCarthy.
