The inaugural St Patrick’s Day parade that started in 1983 was a far cry from today’s very popular island event. The brain child of the parade was Tom Reilley and the then owner of Casey’s Crustaceans. It consisted of a small fire truck complete with a Dalmatian dog and a straggly bunch of walking participants. With a population of only 12,500 islanders the police force had an abundance of free time and showed up minutes after the parades onset to arrest the participants for marching without a permit. All was resolved and Tom decided to regroup and plan the next year’s parade to become an official annual celebration. Year by year the parade and the fans have grown. In 1984 the parade was voted Best New Event in the Hilton Head Island Spring Fest. In 1986 the parade was voted Best Event in Spring Fest. Tom, who still serves on the Parade Board, ran the event with countless volunteers for the first fifteen years. Twenty six years later, this official town event has more than 3,000 participants and 20,000 fans.