Hudson prepares to crown its ‘ Queen of All the Irish’

A flurry of Irish activities will be taking over Hudson during the next couple of weeks, all leading to the town’s sixth- annual St. Patrick’s Day parade on March 21.

“The parade has grown to be so popular over the years that it’s become a whole month of celebration, really, instead of just being a one- day thing,” said Christine Booth, a manager at the Auberge Willow Place Inn.

But before anything can get underway, a queen must be named for the parade.

The selection of the “Queen of All the Irish and Her Court” will be made March 1 at the Willow, where contestants will be judged in categories such as confidence, public speaking, community involvement and, perhaps most importantly, spirit.

Those who are interested have until Feb. 28 to apply, and must have at least some Irish blood in their family.

“Whether it’s three or four generations back, you have to have some Irish,” Booth said, “and anyways, if you’re English around here, we all basically have some Irish in us.”

Two “princesses” will also be named, in case anything was to happen to the queen before the parade. In the few years it’s been around, the selection of the queen has become one of the most popular events in town.

“Our first year, there were one or two girls involved, and maybe 20 or 30 people came out to see it,” Booth said. “Now, we’ve had to move into our main dining room ( at the Willow), which holds 120 people, and I don’t even think we’ll have enough seats for everybody.”

Five potential queens have already registered for the event.

On March 7, at the Whitlock Golf & Curling Club, a “Roast and Toast” dinner will also be held for this year’s grand marshal of the parade, Montreal newscaster Mutsumi Takahashi.

Nominations are also currently being fielded for this year’s Irish- man of the Year, who will be honoured with a dinner at the Hudson Legion a few days before the parade.

“It’s a busy month,” Booth said. “But it’s that time of the year, everyone is fed up of the cold, and the winter is kind of coming to an end, so people are anxious to get out of hibernation.

“For whatever reason,” she added, “the whole month seems to get a lot of spirit out.”