A "Macy's Day-style" balloon is coming to Philadelphia's St. Patrick's Day Parade
AMBLER, Pa. (CBS) - When it comes to the longevity of Irish organizations in the United States, look no further than The Society of the Friendly Sons and Daughters of Saint Patrick, which will have a massive balloon in Sunday's St. Patrick's Day Parade in Philadelphia.
The Friendly Sons and Daughters of Saint Patrick have had a "huge" impact on the Philadelphia region for generations. This year, they'll be marching alongside a huge balloon. It's about 40 feet tall and 14 feet wide.
"It's a massive, massive balloon. I've got to give credit to my brother Kevin. He came up with the idea," Mike Maloney, the group's president, said. "This is the first time in our society's history, and I think in the parade's history that we've had a balloon of this size."
"Once I heard it was a Macy's Day-style balloon, I was all aboard, I was like let's get behind this," Ryan Corbett said.
Corbett, a member of The Friendly Sons and Daughters of Saint Patrick, and his company, Dream Team, are helping with the balloon cost.
"I was on the phone to my mother right away, telling her how excited I was about it," Corbett said.
Born and raised in Belfast, Ireland, Corbett moved to Philadelphia two decades ago. He can't wait for parade day.
According to Corbett, "It's all hands on deck that day."
The balloon is so large it needs 38 handlers.
When asked if he was doing any training to get ready, he jokingly said, "I've done one or two press-ups this week, so I should be OK."
Sweet Annie's Candy Shop in Ambler is also helping with the balloon cost.
Maloney, "The Society of the Friendly Sons and Daughters of Saint Patrick is the oldest charter Irish society in the United States."
Dating back to 1771, several of its founding members were leaders in the American Revolution, including George Washington.
"When we were founded, the purpose was to provide relief and aid to the Irish immigrating into the U.S., specifically the ports of Philadelphia," Maloney said.
The organization would provide housing, food and clothing. More than two and a half centuries later, Maloney said, "We started to focus our work on charitable giving."
That charitable giving includes donating to local police and military families and providing educational scholarships.
Philadelphia's St. Patrick's Day Parade will air from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. on CBS News Philadelphia and PHILLY57 on Sunday. The encore will also air on March 15 and St. Patrick's Day.
