The St. Patrick’s Parade Committee of Chicopee and Holyoke have already begun planning for the 2025 season.
Holyoke
On Jan. 4, the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Committee hosted the 69th Holyoke Colleen Pageant and honored and welcomed this year’s Holyoke Colleen Court to its general membership meeting on Jan. 5.
At its annual Grand Colleen Pageant, nine young women from South Hadley and Holyoke competed to become the Holyoke Grand Colleen finalists.
The application requirements are that the young women must be single, never having been married or had a child, no older than 22 years, and no younger than 17 years by March 17. Applicants must also be a resident of either Holyoke or South Hadley, able to claim Irish ancestry and complete the resume.
Within the application, participants were asked to outline their significant accomplishments in the areas of community involvement, academic awards, special recognition in school, any unique hobbies or interests of theirs and their future plans. The day started with the young women being interviewed by the judges.
During this morning’s interview portion, the contestants were asked questions based on their submitted resumes and applications and judged on their intelligence, personality, poise and appearance.
Later that night, each contestants’ biography was read and judged on their poise and appearance on stage. The judges then met to calculate the combined scores of the morning and evening portions of the event, and the top five young women were announced as the 2025 Grand Colleen Finalists.
During this intermission, the 2024 Grand Colleen Elizabeth Katherine Gourde gave a farewell speech with her court, Natalie Belle Morris, Hunter Rose Edwards, Taryn Shaylene Ryan and Amelia Frances George, who was also Miss Congeniality.
With the scores tabulated, the five finalists were announced: Erin Marie Gauthier, Abigail Katherine Huebner, 20, Moira Catherine Reardon, Erin Frances O’Donnell and Maura Catherine Joseph.
The Bonnie Baker Award for Ms. Congeniality was also announced, and was chosen by the contestants as the young woman who was the most helpful, kind, and personable. The 2025 Ms. Congeniality was Joseph.
The St. Patrick’s Committee of Holyoke will be hosting its Grand Marshal’s reception in honor of James Lavelle on Friday, Jan. 17, with cocktail hour starting at 6 p.m.
For any questions or to purchase tickets, readers can email holyokecolleenpageant@gmail.com or visit holyokestpatricksparade.com.
Chicopee
Applications are still open for the 2025 Chicopee Colleen Contest. To enter, you must be a woman between the ages of 17 and 20 by Feb. 1, single, have no children and have never been married.
All contestants also must have resided in the Chicopee for at least one year, and resident students at Elms College are eligible to apply as well.
Entries must be submitted electronically or postmarked by Wednesday, Feb. 1.
The committee said, “The Chicopee Colleen Contest not only allows you to represent your city with pride but also provides a platform to develop leadership skills and make lasting connections. Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity.”
The committee said all contestants are expected to attend all events on time and dress appropriately and everyone who is competing must know if you are selected to be on the court, it is a year-round committee and you will be expected to attend multiple events throughout the year.
The first events required are the Irish Tea, both rehearsal dates and the Coronation Ball.
An Irish tea or “Get Acquainted Social” will be hosted on Sunday, Feb. 9 at 1 p.m. at the Chicopee Portuguese American Club, 149 Exchange St. for all contestants.
Contestant interviews and the first rehearsal will be hosted at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 16, at Chicopee Portuguese American Club.
A parents’ information session will take place following the contestant interviews and first rehearsal at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 16.
A second rehearsal will take place on Monday, Feb. 17, also at Chicopee Portuguese American Club.
The Colleen Coronation Ball will be hosted on Saturday, Feb. 22 at the Chicopee Portuguese American Club.
The 72nd Holyoke St. Patrick’s Parade will be hosted on Sunday, March 23, and the 48th Holyoke St. Patrick’s Road Race on Saturday, March 22.
Application, tickets and/or information can be found at chicopeespc.com.
