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KEVIN GUTTING

Leah Maio, of Belchertown, catches a baton as she leads the high school band up Beech Street in Holyoke during the 56th annual St. Patrick's Parade in 2007.

As locals get ready to celebrate their Irish heritage at the Holyoke St. Patrick's Parade Sunday, they may get to do so without the need of a heavy spring jacket.

Temperatures are expected to be in the 60s with a mix of sun and clouds for the 59th annual event, the type of weather that will likely boost attendance along the 2.6-mile parade route to beyond the typical 300,000 mark. The parade, scheduled to start at noon, begins at the Kmart Plaza parking lot on Northampton Street and ends at the reviewing stands on Hampden Street.

"It will certainly swell the streets of Holyoke," said David Shea, a member of the Northampton St. Patrick's Association.

Weather aside, contingents in Northampton and Easthampton are buzzing with excitement as they prepare to unveil new commemorative floats on Sunday.

Anniversary float

The Northampton St. Patrick's Association celebrates its 30th anniversary with a float that honors past award winners and features the group's highlights. The float will have a tiered cake adorned with pictures of previous marshals and Brennan Award winners from the late 1970s to the present. The float will also include pictures of previous floats and parade trophies that the association has won over the years, said Susan Doran, an association member who also serves on the Holyoke Parade Committee.

Riding on this year's float will be Northampton's "St. Patrick," William "Red" Ouimet, who has served as St. Patrick for 20 years. Ouimet will pass off the honors next year to Bill Metzger.

This year's Northampton parade marshal is Michael "Mick" Shaughnessy, who volunteers in various capacities throughout the city and has been an association member for about 36 years.

Other honorees include Shea, a past marshal who received the Brennan Award. The award is named for James Brennan, a founding member of the association and a past marshal.

Shaughnessy and Shea will join other past marshals and award winners in the parade, marching with the roughly 200-strong group of Northampton residents that includes the Northampton High School band.

Other traditional components of the Northampton contingent include the Civil War re-enactment group, the 10th Mass Voluntary Infantry Group, Hampshire County Sheriff's TRIAD Division, the mayor, city councilors and Smokey Bear.

Co-marshals in Easthampton

Easthampton, meanwhile, will unveil a new float - its first in 20 years - to mark the city's 225th anniversary.

The group expects an estimated 150 marchers to participate in the parade, including the Easthampton High School band, city officials, past marshals, members of the Police and Fire departments and Chamber of Commerce officials. The committee also represents the towns of Southampton and Westhampton.

"The contingent has grown immensely in the past few years," said Mary Jane Mathers, vice president of the Greater Easthampton St. Patrick's Parade Committee.

Marchers will be led by co-marshals Mary Halford and Sylvia Gallagher, who have been best friends for five decades and have volunteered on the committee for at least 10 years.

Additionally, their late husbands, Bill Halford and Dan Gallagher, served on the original Holyoke parade committee and were instrumental in the event's early growth, said Mathers.

"We felt it was a nice tribute that their wives be co-marshals," said Mathers.

South Hadley

South Hadley, meanwhile, will display its patriotically themed float for the fifth straight year. The float features an World War II-era veteran kneeling near some wreckage in a desert, a gesture designed to recognize veterans of all ages. A mural in the background depicts a family receiving a folded flag from military personnel.

"We want to recognize the sacrifices made by men and women in the armed forces and pay reverence to those who lost their lives," said Bill Schenker, one of the 10 members of the South Hadley St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee.

Up to 100 people will march, including members of the South Hadley High School band. They'll be led by parade marshal Rev. Thomas Shea, pastor at St. Patrick's Church. The committee chose Shea as marshal for his community leadership and the many "things that he does for the community that are behind the scenes and never advertised," said Schenker.

The committee also recognizes Will Ryder, of Ryder Funeral Home, with its Irish Knights Award for his active participation in the community.

Parade highlights

If registration for Saturday's annual road race is any indication, Sunday's parade is bound to draw a sizable crowd.

Some 4,000 people had signed up for the 6.2-mile race. Last-minute registrations will likely bring the total to more than 5,000, considerably higher than the 3,500 that typically participate.

Organizers claim the Holyoke parade is the second largest St. Patrick's parade in the country behind New York City. To see a parade map in today's paper see Page D6, and for detailed parade information, visit www.holyokestpatricksparade.com.