Every year, people line the streets of Worcester for the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Perhaps the most exciting part of the parade is the decorative floats, built and accompanied by various local organizations. Some organizations have been building floats for the parade for years and seem to have their construction down to a science.

For about eight years, Tom Woodward and his family have been building the floats for Camp Marshall, a nonprofit organization that focuses on providing a 4-H camp experience for children. However, it was not until a few years ago that Woodward realized the parade had a theme ~ the sights and sounds of Ireland.

To prepare for the build, Woodward heads to the Internet, browsing images of Ireland itself, focusing on the beautiful landscapes and sites of the country. Woodward then gathers camp members who want to help and they begin brainstorming, based on his initial idea. Camp members usually help the Woodwards with the build; however, there have been years when his family has built the float by itself.

For each parade, Camp Marshall borrows one or two hay wagons for a base, and then gathers materials, trying not to purchase anything new.

“We rush through a lot of them,” said Woodward, since the wagons are not usually available until approximately a week before the parade. According to Woodward, the Camp Marshall team has built some floats as close to deadline as the weekend prior to the parade. All the members of Camp Marshall come to the parade route on the day of, helping to put the final touches on the float and climbing on to enjoy the ride.

Camp Marshall’s floats always include animals, commonly rabbits for children to pet, and “people have told us they only come to the parade to see the animals,” Woodward said. Woodward also tries to incorporate a signature shed on all of the floats. The shed was built a few years ago and has been on almost every float Woodward and his family have built.

The Kiwanis Club of Worcester, a coeducational service club, also sticks with the parade theme for its floats. Club Treasurer Michele Sloan said the club focuses on incorporating as much green as possible into its floats, using “lots of Irish flags, shamrocks, and we always have the stereo blaring with great Irish music.”

The floats are built on the back of Sloan’s company, Hoey Tire’s, flatbed tow truck. Hoey Tire donates the use of the truck every year, and the club starts construction on the float the weekend before the parade. Like Club Marshall, The Kiwanis Club also tries to reuse as many parts of previous floats as possible, while including some new additions every year.

This will be the club’s seventh year participating in the parade. “We thought it was a great way to get the Kiwanis Club of Worcester name out there, as well as incorporating a fun day for the children in our community,” Sloan said.

The club has been successful in its efforts, too, having been awarded the Mayo Award in 2010, the Heritage Award in 2011 and the Ring of Kerry Award in 2013.

You can check out the floats of Camp Marshall, the Kiwanis Club of Worcester and more community organizations at Worcester’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade as it heads down Park Avenue, beginning at noon Sunday, March 9.