SCOTCH PLAINS, NJ — The Union County St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee will install and honor Scotch Plains resident Kerry Schardien-Ricci as its 2026 Parade grand marshal during the celebration of Mass on Saturday, Jan. 31, at Immaculate Heart of Mary Roman Catholic Church in Scotch Plains.
“Taking the oath of office as the 2026 Parade grand marshal will be one of the proudest moments of my life,” said Schardien-Ricci. “I am deeply honored to serve in this prestigious role as the Union County Irish community celebrates its heritage and culture.”
Schardien-Ricci, an oncology social worker and long-time volunteer and summer director of Camp Fatima of New Jersey, added: “We have dedicated this year’s parade to people with disabilities and we encourage parade participation by Union County-based and other community organizations that provide opportunities and services for inclusion and accessibility.”
The parade committee is honoring Schardien-Ricci as grand marshal for her community work, as well as her dedication to the parade committee, which she led as general chairperson in 2016, and for her continued service as a parade trustee since 2019, said Gabby Sully of Cranford, the 2026 Parade general chairperson.
“We look forward to marching with Kerry as the 2026 parade’s standard-bearer for our parade, which traditionally is among New Jersey’s largest and most well-attended celebrations of the Irish community’s legacy in America,” Sully said, adding, “We invite the Union County community to attend the Investiture Mass.”
Those planning to attend the reception should RSVP to Gabby Sully at 908-265-1478 or Kari Alleman at kbagniewski@gmail.com.
The 29th Annual Union County St. Patrick’s Day Parade begins at 1 p.m., Saturday, March 14, in Union Township. Other organizations seeking to march in the 2026 Union County Saint Patrick’s Day Parade should contact Gabby Sully or parade Adjutant James Holmes at this link.
Future fund-raising events for the Union County Saint Patrick’s Day Parade include a Finnegan’s Wake & Fun Run, on Saturday, Feb. 21. Registration begins at 11:30 a.m., at the Sun Tavern, 600 Westfield Ave. West, Roselle Park. The race begins at 12:30 p.m. and the Finnegan’s Wake & Fun Run is from 12:40 to 4 p.m.
On the day of the 2026 Union County St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the celebration begins on Sunday, March 15, at 9 a.m., with the tradition of a Thornstick Mass at St. Patrick’s Church in Elizabeth, followed by preliminary presentations at noon at the main reviewing stand in Union Township Center. The parade starts on Morris Avenue, between Commerce and Jeanette avenues, proceeding east to the reviewing stand at Stuyvesant Avenue and ending at Roosevelt Avenue. Parade-goers can also hear information about participants and the parade’s history at the mid-way reviewing stand at Morris and Caldwell avenues.
