In the Forbes family, St. Patrick’s Day is a celebration that rivals Christmas.
Even as a young boy, John Forbes would wake up eager for the day on March 17. He’d put on his church clothes and his walking shoes and race his sisters to the car for the drive to downtown Savannah. The Forbes would attend Catholic Mass, and then John would join his dad, John Jr., and march in the city’s famous parade.
The 2024 Savannah St. Patrick’s Day Parade will surpass all previous editions for Forbes. He’s the grand marshal for the 200th anniversary march and literally following in the footsteps of his father, who served as grand marshal, the highest honor for a Savannah Irishman, in the 1998 parade.
Forbes is the rare grand marshal to win election unopposed, nominated for the post just weeks before the Feb. 25 vote. The 55-year-old has been a member of the organization that puts on the parade, the Savannah St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee, all his adult life, and he has served in multiple leadership roles over the decades, including two years as the parade’s lead organizer, known as the general chairman.
He lives in the Kensington Park neighborhood with his wife, Jennifer, and his 10-year-old daughter, Keegan. He has an adult son, Conor.
Forbes sat for a question-and-answer session two days after his election. Here are excerpts from that interview, edited for clarity and space constraints.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Q: The Savannah St. Patrick’s Day Parade is clearly a family affair for the Forbes family. What makes the day so special?
Forbes: My parents were and are very strict, very Catholic, so everything has always been based around faith. So I remember as a kid counting down to St. Patrick’s Day like it was Christmas. I remember when I first realized there was a little more to the celebration, that there was more revelry the closer you got to the river. It was the reason why I only walked with my dad in the parade until we reached the cathedral. That’s where my mom watched the parade from, and I’d always step out and join her while my dad went on and we’d meet him after the parade.
Q: Your dad served as grand marshal for the 1998 parade, so you’re familiar with everything that goes into the role. What do you remember about your dad’s year?
Forbes: First, the election. He had opposition, and waiting for the vote to finish and be counted was the most nerve-racking hour of my life. Then when he won, it became the coolest day ever. On parade day, it was just a whirlwind, but I recall walking down that center aisle at the start of Mass, seeing him greeted by everybody and receive a standing ovation. It was just next-level stuff.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Q: Seeing the grand marshal experience so up close and personal, does it make what’s ahead for you any easier?
Forbes: No, because anybody who runs for grand marshal has always thought about or dreamed about how it’s going to be, and it’s different for everybody. I’ve been right there as general chairman for two years and right there when my dad was grand marshal, and I still don’t know what to expect. I do know I’m going to be an emotional wreck. I’m the soft-hearted one in my family. My dad is stoic and my sisters are tough as nails, but I’m emotional. I cry at everything. And I’m sure I’ll cry plenty during this time.
Q: Traditionally, grand marshal candidates campaign for the honor. You didn’t, announcing at what amounted to the 11th hour. What was that experience like?
Forbes: When the election happened and I’m running unopposed, I just couldn’t help but think to myself, “Do I deserve this? Why me?” I can’t believe they’re talking about me, and I can’t believe they’re about to tell me I’m the grand marshal in the 200th anniversary parade. It was never a part of my grand marshal dream for it to be the 200th. It’s going to be a special, special day.
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
Q: The 200th anniversary has put the spotlight on the history behind the parade and Savannah’s Irish roots. What stands out the most to you about what you’ve learned about the city’s Irish heritage?
Forbes: The perseverance those early Irish immigrants showed. Many of them were treated poorly, digging canals and doing other lowly work. You can credit 200 years of the parade to the perseverance and faith of Savannah’s Irish community.
Q: Perseverance and faith have created quite the tradition here. Why is the parade such a part of the fabric of the Savannah community?
Forbes: It shows we’re doing something right as far as the parade committee goes. We’re just a bunch of Savannahians who love our faith, love our traditions, love putting on a parade, and love celebrating our Irish heritage with the Irish and Irish at heart.
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