Binghamton's Saint Patrick's Day Parade will be MUCH smaller this year do to the roundabout. If you have been pouring blood sweat and tears into your organizations parade float for the biggest parade of Binghamton's parades this year you might as well stop and invite your friends over for the bonfire to dispose of it. Binghamton officials have banned flatbed floats and full size firetrucks from participating in the parade due to the new roundabout installed last summer. In my previous posts you've seen how difficult it was for a tractor trailer to maneuver the roundabout.

Rich Birdsall
Rich Birdsall
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Now it affects a trdition that we all have enjoyed for years. We traditionally schedule our St.Patrick's Day parade way before the actual holiday so we can book pipe and drum cores and other groups who are in the New York City Parade. Making our parade one to rival NYC. Not anymore. The parade will be shorter due to the removal of all floats and firetrucks. However a contact at Broome Tioga BOCES who was told their float wasn't welcome at this years parade was also told that they could probably bring it next year. Binghamton plans on changing the parade route. All because of the traffic circle. "

"The city of Binghamton has been very cooperative we've talked to them about the situation. We plan on not having any problems. We're going to follow the same route we've had always," said Tom Kelly, Co-Chairman of the parade committee.

Kelly says there will still be four divisions in the parade, however they'll be a little bit smaller than usual.

The parade itself will not last as long. The AOH is aiming for somewhere in between an hour and fifteen minutes and an hour and thirty minutes. In past years the parade ran upwards of two hours." - WBNG-TV

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