Burlington County Saint Patrick's Parade
Grand Marshal Nick Schrade
Nick Schrade has been working with the Mount Holly St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee since 2014. His involvement came from a chance visit to the Parade’s website in which the parade was looking for a volunteer to tow a float for that year’s parade. This seemed to be a perfect way (however small) to help the local community be aware of the contribution people of Irish decent have made in this area.
Nick was born and raised in Burlington County and has spent most of his life in Medford and working nearby. He is a father of two and enjoys woodworking, which has come in handy in assisting the Parade Committee in repair and maintenance of the many floats in the Parade. In addition to helping with repair and maintenance, Nick participates in the parade each year, as well as the planning meetings and fund-raising efforts.
Nick has always been aware of his Irish heritage, but after a class at Rutgers University that spent an entire semester studying the effects of the Great Famine of 1845 – 1852, Nick became increasingly interested in his heritage. With the help of DNA testing and his sister Kate’s genealogy research, Nick was able to look back just a few generations to find family in Ireland. Nick’s lineage is part of the Lahey, McCabe, Fox and Conway families of Cork, and the Martins and Butlers of Kilkenny. His paternal great grandparents, Patrick Martin and Ellen Butler, both were from Goresbridge in County Kilkenny. Patrick was a baker and his recipe for soda bread is still used by Nick’s family today.
2024 Grand Marshal Dinner
Sunday February 25th
