The borough is taking extra security precautions for Sunday's parade
BELMAR -- With thousands of people expected to converge on Belmar for the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade on Sunday, borough officials are taking extra safety precautions but promise it won't dampen the fun.
"It's going to be a very festive atmosphere," said Mayor Matthew Doherty. "It's going to be the safest parade we've ever had."
On Friday, the borough was starting to take on tones of the upcoming celebration. Green and white balloons festooned some businesses along Main Street. Crews started setting up the reviewing stand at 9th and Main streets. And most importantly, the green stripe for the mile-long route between Lake Como and Avon-by-the-Sea was starting to be painted on the road.
Doherty said that as an increased security measure, more streets leading to the parade route will be closed and blockaded by concrete barriers. That's to avoid an intentional vehicle attack - or like in New Orleans on Saturday when an intoxicated driver plowed his truck into a crowd at a parade leading up to Mardi Gras. At least 28 people were injured, he said.
Belmar St. Patrick's Day parade a hit with revelers
The black decorative trashcans lining Main Street have already been removed, replaced temporarily by blue plastic cans. Waxy seals have been applied to manhole covers to help law enforcement officers detect whether they've been opened before the parade.
Doherty said these plans were put in place after the explosion in Seaside Park ahead of the Semper Five race, a charity 5K honoring U.S. Marines and Sailors on Sept. 20.
"We want to mitigate potential threats," he said. "People will have fun but at the same time, they're going to feel a heightened sense of security."
Like he's done for the past 30 years, Rich Neral, street supervisor for Belmar, started painting the green stripe in the middle of Main Street. With the assistance of students Eric Provenzano, 13, and Vanessa Meza, 14, they handled the stretch in front of the reviewing stand on Friday with a roller and "early clover" paint, bought annually at Taylor Hardware in town.
For the rest of the route, on the morning of the parade Neral said he'll use a green-tinted soap that will wash off when the street sweepers pass by after the festivities.
The 44th annual St. Patrick's Day Parade in Belmar kicks off at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday and revelers are encouraged to arrive by 11 a.m. to avoid street closures.
NJ Transit is running more service on the North Jersey Coast Line between Long Branch and Bay Head for the event.
The transit agency will have 11 additional rail trips - five heading north and six running south - to provide hourly service throughout the day.
Every train running between Long Branch and Bay Head will stop at Belmar and customers traveling from north of Long Branch are instructed to transfer across the platform at Long Branch Station to continue on to Belmar.
Service between New York and Long Branch will operate on a regular weekend schedule.
MaryAnn Spoto may be reached at mspoto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @MaryAnnSpoto. Find NJ.com on Facebook.