Adamsville parade is Saturday, and it's still short

World's Shortest St. Patrick's Day parade runs for its second year

By Paige Shapiro
Posted 3/13/23

If the Irish saying goes that 'Two people shorten the road,' does a whole parade of people do the same? Adamsville will find out Saturday afternoon.

Adamsville’s World's Shortest St. …

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Adamsville parade is Saturday, and it's still short

World's Shortest St. Patrick's Day parade runs for its second year

Posted

If the Irish saying goes that 'Two people shorten the road,' does a whole parade of people do the same? Adamsville will find out Saturday afternoon.

Adamsville’s World's Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which ran for the first time last year, is back for its second running this Saturday at 2 p.m. on Main Road. At 89 feet, it is shorter by nine feet than a similar parade in Hot Springs, Arkansas, that tops out at 98 feet but has claimed  the "shortest" record for 20 years. An estimated 300 people attended last year's event on Main Street, and more are expected to attend this year/ They'll be led by Grand Marshals Jim and Paula Downing.

Organizers of the pocket-sized procession, Little Compton’s Kinnane family, as well as the Rego, Azize, St. Martin and Griffin families, have set their sights high for this year’s running. Among the marchers will be familiar faces including marchers from the Clann Lir Academy of Irish Dance and the Portland and District Pipers, as well as new participants like the Colonial Navy of Massachusetts, the folk band Scottish Fish, the local police and fire departments, and horses from Adamsville Stables. A ‘surfer’s legend’ float will also chug along the parade route, carrying Somerset surfer Dave Clement and Water Brothers' legend Sid Abbruzzi, as well as other local faces.

Chuck Kinnane, one of the parade’s organizers, said that while last year's running was only 10 or 12 minutes in duration, this year’s parade will run for almost 30 or 40 minutes due to the outpouring of support and involvement organizers have received from the community.

“We want everyone to come out and enjoy,” he said. “And we want everyone to be safe –– it’s a family-friendly event.” 

The free parade steps off at 2 p.m. and will be followed by a corned beef and cabbage dinner, already sold out, that benefits the Little Compton Food Bank and will be prepared by Bootleg BBQ’s Fred Melnyk. The party will be accompanied by a seisiún of festive music performed by the likes of Paddy Purcell, the Brethren, and Quahog Brothers.

Though there's some disagreement as to whether the Arkansas parade is the world's shortest, there's no word of clarification from Arkansas, where parade organizers declined to comment on their Adamsville challenger. But Paddy Manning, last year's grand marshal, said he doesn't really mind — “We are not looking to compete with Arkansas, we have nothing but love and respect for them ... but for the record, we are the shortest.”

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