ksweeney@nujournal.com
NEW ULM With the 55th anniversary of the New Ulm St. Patrick’s Day Parade approaching on Wednesday, the Irish community in New Ulm has been faced with a dilemma. They, of course, want to keep the tradition of the longest continuous St. Patrick’s Day celebration in the state alive, but they want to do their civic duty in the face of the COVID-19 celebration.
“We know that the New Ulm St. Patrick’s Day celebration draws huge crowds to New Ulm every year, and we know this has all the makings of a Super Spreader event,” said parade organizer Tom Donnelly. “Last year we estimate 13,000 people showed up for last year’s parade, which was cut short due to the COVID-19 shutdown. We want to avoid that this year.”