Hyland clan leads Morristown St. Patrick's Day parade

MORRISTOWN - Grand Marshal John Hyland beamed as he marched past the grandstand of the Morristown St. Patrick's Day Parade Saturday, waving to the crowd and surrounded by a small army of family members on a spectacular spring-like day.

It was a long time coming for the lifelong Morristown resident, who was first named grand marshal for the 2015 parade, but was forced to skip that chilly, rain-soaked affair while he underwent treatment for a life-threatening reoccurrence of leukemia.

One year later, Hyland was bouncing from corner to corner of the grandstand area, shaking hands and accepting hugs as the rest of Morristown's most popular annual event passed him by.

"It feels awesome," he said. "Can't feel much better than today."

No one was quite sure how many Hylands marched on Saturday, but they were part of a huge crowd swelled by blue skies and temperatures that rose into the mid-60s.

"I don't know, at least 30 or more," said Hyland's wife, Kristin. "There's at least 16 just from Morristown,"

"There's a lot of people here today who'd like to claim to be a Hyland," said Mike Loughman, a member of the extended Hyland family.

John Hyland, continuing a grand marshal tradition, speculated with a smile that he believed this to be the largest crowd to ever attend the parade, which started in Wharton in 1979 and moved to the county seat in 1991. Since that time, the parade has become one of the largest St. Patrick's Day parades in the state, with hundreds of entries that took more than 2 1/2 hours to complete the route.

"Every grand marshal wants to (preside over) the biggest parade," he said.

The Hyland clan also included John Hyland's mother, Kathleen Hyland, who was grand marshal in 1998 ("I was 18 then," she joked).

"It's a great honor, but the thing I'm happiest about is that he is healthy," said Kathleen Hyland, who, with her son, becomes the first pair of family members to wear the grand marshal sash. "He's in remission and doing well. You cannot imagine how happy and proud I am right now."

Thousands of families enjoyed the day as well, peeling down to shorts and short sleeves as they packed the parade route from Town Hall on South Street all the way to the Green. The parade featured dozens of bands, Irish dancers, police and fire vehicles, community-service organizations, floats sponsored by local businesses and political figures ranging from Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen to Steven Fulop, mayor of Jersey City and a rumored contender in the New Jersey governor race in 2017.

Morristown's legislators marched as well. Sen. Anthony R. Bucco walked with his son, Assemblyman Anthony M. Bucco, while Assemblyman Michael Patrick Carroll marched in period uniform with fellow members of a Civil War re-enactment group.

Morris County Sheriff Edward Rochford, who recently announced his retirement at year's end after 50 years in law enforcement, also marched for the last time as the leader of his office delegation.

They all marched by lifelong Morristown resident Ruth Johnson, who celebrated her 80th birthday the day before and was the first to arrive on the Green Saturday morning and claim her spot across the street from the grandstand.

"I come every year," she said. "I like the music, dancing, all that kind of stuff. Last year the weather was bad, but this is beautiful."

Businesses in town were celebrating as well, especially taverns and restaurants, most of which had lines of people outside, waiting to get in as the parade winded down. Perhaps the largest crowd was spotted at George and Martha's American Grill, which pitched tents out back that accommodated hundreds of revelers.

Staff Writer William Westhoven: 973-917-9242; wwesthoven@GannettNJ.com.