OCEAN CITY- While all who participated in and attended the 35^th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Ocean City on Saturday were winners, the Delmarva Irish-American Club recognized several entries with special awards.

Despite gray skies and cooler temperatures, well over 100,000 revelers young and old crammed into Ocean City on Saturday for the 35th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the second largest in Maryland. Traffic started building all morning and by the time the parade began at noon, thousands found their spots along Coastal Highway and the party headquarters at 45th Street, turning the resort into a sea of green and a festival of song, dance, music and revelry.

From modest beginnings in 1980, when the fledgling DIAC first conceived the idea of a St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Ocean City, the annual event has grown to become the second largest of its kind in Maryland. Just a few vehicles and a handful of participants marched down Coastal Highway in that very first parade, but the event now includes around 125 entries.

In the early years, the parade was always held on St. Patrick’s Day itself, March 17, regardless of what day of the week on which it fell. Several years ago, event organizers, including Meehan, Buck Mann and Dennis Roarty and many others too numerous to mention, made the decision to hold the parade on the Saturday before St. Patrick’s Day and the rest is history.

This year, Shamrock Realty was honored as the Best Marching Unit, while the Beach Bum Motel received an honorable mention. The Best Commercial Float award went to Ish Boutique, while Mann Properties received the honorable mention in that category.

The Best Non-Commercial Float award went to the Ocean City Surf Club, while the honorable mention went to the Best Week of the Year Gang. The Best Motorized Unit award went to Ocean 98.1/Celtic Nations, while the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation took home the honorable mention.

The Best Adult Group award went to the Relay for Life-Northern Worcester County, while the Ocean City Downtown Association earned the honorable mention. The Best Youth Group award went to the Stephen Decatur High School Marching Band, while the Stephen Decatur Middle School Marching Band took home the honorable mention.

A Special Committee Award went to Ropewalk Ocean City. The Judge’s Choice Award went to Paws and Claws. The Best Overall Award went to the Float of Hope.