To many attendees, the 19th edition of the Carbon County St. Patrick's Day parade was much like the previous versions.

Fun times were had with friends and family, many of whom wore green to mark the occasion.Before Irish eyes were smiling in downtown Jim Thorpe on Sunday, however, tears were shed for those not in attendance.The parade kicked off on West Broadway with a brief, yet emotional ceremony next to the sign shop of the late Doug Rontz, who volunteered many hours to the event over the years and passed away in January.Rontz's daughter Sonya and mother Marilyn accepted an award of appreciation and commemorative sashes from the Carbon County Ancient Order of Hibernians, Alec Campbell Division 1, which sponsors the parade with the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians, Mollie Maguire Division 1 of Carbon County."We lost a lot of good friends of the parade in the past year and Doug was chief among them," said Ron Sheehan, AOH member. "He never missed a parade over the years and we know he was watching down on us today. We were so happy to be able to honor his memory."The parade was also dedicated to the memories of Dennis Gallagher, longtime announcer, and John Kane, a member of the AOH.Grand Marshal Francis "Snitz" O'Donnell rode at the front of the pack in a horse-drawn carriage.By the time the parade made its way down Broadway, thousands of revelers lined the streets, tapping their feet along with bagpipes.John Vaughn and his wife Joanne of Saylorsburg were attending for the first time, but guaranteed it wouldn't be the last."We'll be back every year," said John, wearing a party hat shaped like a full mug of beer.Per tradition, AOH and Ladies AOH members stopped at the Immaculate Conception Church to receive a blessing from the Rev. James Ward.They also stopped at the Old Mauch Chunk Jail Museum to honor the Molly Maguires and recognize their efforts for fair labor.The parade also marked the end of a whirlwind weekend for Jim Thorpe High School senior Kevan Gentile.Riding atop a truck near the front of the first division, Gentile was just less than 24 hours removed from earning a gold medal and becoming Jim Thorpe's first PIAA wrestling champion."I'm really glad they put him in the parade," said Dave Maroney, a Jim Thorpe resident in attendance."Everyone in town is talking about how proud we are of his accomplishments."Some of the musical entertainment included the Broome County Celtic Pipes and Drums, Jim Thorpe High School band, Emmaus Sentinals, Hawk Mountain Highlanders, Kiltie Band of York, Ceol Neamh, Kerry Dancers, Blue Eagle Alumni Drum and Bugle Corp, Brian Boru Pipes and Drums, Celtic United Pipe and Drums, Skyliners Drum and Bugle and the Quitapahilla Highlanders Pipe Band.A very light rain fell over Sunday's event at times, but Sheehan said organizers were quite happy with how the day turned out."The crowd was great all the way down Broadway," he said."Weather, thankfully, was in our favor and everyone seemed to celebrate, but do it in a respectful manner, which is what we hope for each year."We're already looking forward to the 20th annual event next year."