New London Irish Parade Unveils Sash

The grand marshals of the New London Irish Parade will be decked in the colors of the Irish flag and symbols of the city when they lead the procession on March 17.

The parade unveiled the sashes on Monday. They are currently being sewn at and will be worn by , superintendent of the .

The sash contains the green, orange, and white design of the Irish flag and includes a repeating pattern of small whale shapes in the green and orange portions. The white portion includes images of New London Ledge Light, New London Harbor Light, the Coast Guard barque Eagle, the Soldiers and Sailors Monument on Parade Plaza, and a vessel of .

The central logo features a whale swimming through the center of a trinity knot. The logo was created by parade president Marie Friess-McSparran and improved upon by Rita Rivera of Little Print Communications.

Friess-McSparran said she chose Pinc! to do the sash when visiting the shop after last year’s parade. She found owner Kim Pettey working on a quilt.

“It just came to me that she might like to create the sash for the upcoming parade,” said Friess-McSparran.

Petty said she and Rivera-Reimer work together on some projects as Little Pinc Shoreline collaborations. She said Rivera did the digital design, which was then sent to a company for printing. The sash will be lined prior to its use in the parade.

“It gave us an opportunity to showcase what we do best, Rita and I,” said Pettey.

Friess-McSparran said the marshals sometimes keep the sashes and sometimes return them.

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