The 49th annual Belmar St. Patrick’s Day Parade returned to Main Street in Lake Como Sunday with nearly 200 groups participating.

Organizers say it is the biggest St. Patrick’s Day parade in the state, but COVID-19 silenced the green-painted street in 2021, aside from a small group of dedicated marchers.

The parade began at 12:30 p.m. with the first female grand marshal in the parade’s history, Amanda Louise Cregan.

According to the Coast Star, Cregan is a member of the John Walsh Chapter of the Irish American Cultural Institute and serves on the NJ Irish Festival Committee.

“It’s an amazing honor to represent my peers in the parade,” Cregan says. “There are just so many ladies who’ve set the bar so high, it’s just an honor to represent everybody.”

Town officials say the parade is the start to the tourist season. They hope the added traffic will help bolster small businesses that took a hit during the pandemic.