Time to Get Out the Green

The Montauk Friends of Erin St. Patrick’s Day festivities start tomorrow with a lunch for the grand marshal, Capt. Paul Forsberg of the Viking Fleet. It will be held this year for the first time at the Montauk Yacht Club instead of Gurney’s Inn, where it has been held for many years. Mr. Forsberg will receive his top hat, sash, and shillelagh at the lunch, and the grand marshal will be roasted with a bit of gentle ribbing during dessert.

Hosted by the grand marshal of 2011, Joan Lycke, the lunch starts at noon and includes a multiple-course meal and a cash bar. Tickets can be purchased in advance at the Montauk Laundromat for $50, and those doing so can reserve tables for their parties. Tickets will cost $55 at the door.

On Saturday, the Friends of Erin will host its annual cocktail party at Gurney’s Inn from 4 to 8 p.m. Billy and the Barfights will get the guests up and dancing. The tickets cost $80 at the door but can be purchased in advance for $65 at the Montauk Chamber of Commerce and Becker’s Home Center or by emailing [email protected]. There will be hors d’oeuvres, an open bar, and a buffet.

At the cocktail party, the winning tickets for the Friends’ Pot of Gold raffle will be drawn. Tickets can be purchased for $100 right up until the drawing. The first-place prize is $10,000, second is $1,000, and third and fourth, $500.

On Sunday at 10 a.m., before the parade, the chamber of commerce will sell soup donated by local restaurants to warm up the crowd. The parade will start at the Montauk Firehouse at 11:30 a.m. It will head south on Edgemere Road, turn left near the Montauk Post Office, and then head onto Main Street to march past a viewing stand with judges declaring the best floats and fire department bands. It will end at the Montauk I.G.A.

Law enforcement officers including East Hampton Town police and New York State park police will be on the lookout for open containers of alcohol, with stiff fines possible.