The eighth annual St. Patrick's Day Parade in Bethpage is set for Sunday, March 7, and with over 25 marching units and well-known Farmingdale resident Francis B. Looney as grand marshal, organizers expect it to be the biggest ever.

The passing of the sash...The grand marshal of this year's St. Patrick's Day Parade in Bethpage, Francis B. Looney (left) is shown with 1998 Grand Marshal John O'Hara.

Following a 1 p.m. Mass at St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church on Central Avenue, the parade will start at the church at about 2 p.m and proceed through downtown Bethpage: westward on Central Avenue from Apple Bank, north on Stewart Avenue, east on Burkhardt, then south on Broadway to Washington Avenue. At 4 p.m., ceremonies will be conducted at a show-mobile in the Bethpage LIRR parking field on Washington Avenue. A reception will follow at St. Martin of Tours School Hall. The reception will begin at 4:30 p.m., and admission tickets may be purchased at the door at a cost of $5 per person.

According to Mary A. McCaffrey, president of the Bethpage St. Patrick's Day Committee, as in years past, all are welcome at the afternoon family event.

"This is the only one in the Town of Oyster Bay, so we're trying to broaden the scope," McCaffrey said. "Every year it's gotten bigger and bigger, and we have more people."

A lifelong resident of the Farmingdale-Bethpage area, Looney, who will lead the procession, is the former police commissioner of Nassau County, and a respected authority on law enforcement and criminal justice. He has served as an officer in the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the New York State Association of Chiefs of Police. He is also a member of the Nassau County Bar Association, where he served on a committee to establish criminal justice standards.

The 82-year-old World War II veteran is deeply rooted in both Bethpage and Farmingdale. He was raised on a farm in Bethpage which now is the site of Bethpage Community Park and Bethpage High School. After marrying the former Mary Ahearn, also of Bethpage, the couple moved to Farmingdale and raised four children there. Looney is also a longtime member of the Bethpage Volunteer Fire Department and the Farmingdale-Bethpage Historical Society.

Looney said this week that he is "very proud" to have been chosen as grand marshal, and expressed enthusiasm about the event's impact on the local community. "It'll bring the community together," he said.

McCaffrey also expressed excitement about the grand marshal. "Throughout his careers, Frank brought honor and distinction to his family, his community and his profession. The Bethpage Parade Committee is honored to have Frank serve as the 1999 Grand Marshal," she stated in a release to the press announcing his appointment.

The Bethpage St. Patrick's Day parade started less than ten years ago as a simple march through the community to honor Bethpage resident Connie Doolan's appointment as grand marshal of the 1992 New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade. Today, the event is organized by a committee of about 15 people and enjoys widespread community support.

It costs about $7,000 to conduct the parade, with most of the money coming from golf and bowling fund raisers and more than 20 business and community sponsors, such as B.K. Sweeney's, Arthur F. White Funeral Home and the Bethpage Fire Department. This is the first year that the event has a corporate sponsor - Cablevision. "I give all the businesses that contribute a big shamrock to put in their window, just so people know that without the support of the businesses, we wouldn't have this parade. They're a very important part of it," McCaffrey said. "Big business, small businesses - they're all a part of it. And I think that's a credit to the community."

The marching units of the 1999 parade include the following: New York Fire Department Emerald Society Band, Wantagh American Legion Pipes and Drums, Amityville Highland Pipe Band, IBEW - Local 25 Pipes and Drums, historical marching units, a canine brigade, Nassau County Mounted Police, as well as community and veterans organizations. McCaffrey added that all in the greater Long Island community are encouraged to attend.