Eddie Ecker to be St. Paddy’s Parade Marshal
It’s not an exaggeration to say that almost everyone on the East End knows Eddie Ecker, but now those from other parts of Long Island who flock to Montauk for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade will get to know him too. One of Montauk’s favorite sons, he will lead the 55th annual Montauk Friends of Erin parade as grand marshal on March 26.
“I’m a history guy and I love tradition and to be a part of this tradition is an honor,” Mr. Ecker said this week.
A Montauk native, Mr. Ecker was a member of the East Hampton Town Police Department for 32 years, rising through the ranks before retiring as the police chief in 2013. He is such a well-liked member of the community that the phrase “I Know Eddie Ecker” began appearing on bumper stickers 10 years ago, thanks to Gordon Ryan, a Montauk attorney, who heard that people would say that to try and get out of a ticket when stopped by local police.
While Mr. Ecker joins a long list of people he respects and admires — “People who really love Montauk,” he said — it is “extra special” to be following in his parents’ footsteps. His late father, Edward V. Ecker Sr., a former town supervisor, was the grand marshal in 1984, and his mother, Mary Frances Ecker, then 80, led the parade in 2009, waving to paradegoers from Mickey Valcich’s yellow Corvette.
“One of the common threads here is that all these people, there’s a real tie and love for the Montauk community,” he said.
Mr. Ecker graduated from the Montauk School in 1968 and from East Hampton High School in 1972. A year later, he enlisted in the Navy. After completing submarine school, he was stationed aboard the nuclear-powered submarine Hawkbill, which was based in various places, including San Diego, Bremerton in Washington State, and Pearl Harbor.
In 1976, he and his wife, Roxanne, moved back to Montauk. He joined the Police Department after working for Suffolk County as a child-support investigator and a youth worker.
Mr. Ecker has not missed a parade in many years, though he usually was there as a police officer and had to miss being a reveler. “I think I got off when my father was the grand marshal, but I worked when my mother was the grand marshal,” he said. Back when “Big Ed” led the parade in 1984, it was not as popular with visitors, he said, and the Police Department could spare an officer. Twenty-five years later, when his mother was picked, thousands more were in attendance. This year, nearly 25,000 people are expected, with thousands pouring in by train.
Since his retirement, Mr. Ecker has enjoyed being a parade participant. He has marched with the Montauk Fire Department, of which he is a 40-year member, and last year drove its ambulance.
As grand marshal, he will represent the Montauk Friends of Erin at other St. Patrick’s Day parades, including the one in Manhattan. Asked what he is looking forward to most about the parade season, he said he likes all the Montauk festivities and most enjoys the luncheon at Gurney’s on Friday afternoon at the start of the parade weekend.
“I don’t think I’ve missed a luncheon in many, many years. It’s always a nice group of local people getting together,” he said, adding that he always looks forward to the roast.
Soon after the announcement last week that Mr. Ecker would be grand marshal, he began receiving congratulatory calls, particularly from former grand marshals. They offered similar comments: “When you make that turn onto Main Street,” they said, “it’s really something to see. You can’t imagine looking down Main Street — it’s a tunnel of people.”
Although the date of the parade has been set, the starting time has not been officially announced. In recent years, the Friends of Erin has worked with the town and Metropolitan Transportation Authority police to pick a time based on the train schedule. Yesterday, Michael Sarlo, the East Hampton Town police chief, said he hoped the start would be before noon. Brian Matthews, the president of the Friends of Erin, said he believes it will step off at 11:30.