Kelly Grogan Named Grand Marshal of Sioux Falls St. Patrick’s Day Parade

The Grogan surname is well-known both in the Sioux Falls Irish community and the city at large. The Grogan family has been part of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade since its earliest days and has a long history of leadership in the event. So it’s no surprise that Kelly Grogan has been named this year’s grand marshal of the Sioux Falls St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

Grogan, a longtime firefighter with Sioux Falls Fire and Rescue before retiring in 2014, is the third in his family to receive the honor of being grand marshal, following his mother, Cleopha Grogan, in 2001 and older brother Hugh Grogan in 2019. Growing up, he said his mother instilled the importance of the parade in the entire family.

“Mom was the one that kept us on the straight and narrow and made sure we knew it was our responsibility to be part of the parade,” Grogan said. “It was important to follow our ancestry and family history and to keep that Irish pride.”

The 46th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade will take place on Saturday, March 14, in downtown Sioux Falls. In the spirit of founder Sylvia Henkin, it is often called “the People’s Parade,” meaning it is free and open to the public. Anyone can enter a float or walk in the parade as long as they are registered or part of a registered group and wear an official St. Patrick’s Day Parade button.

Parade participation buttons cost $3 and are available in advance at The Blarney Stone Pub, 605 Running Company and The Cookie Jar. Buttons may also be purchased on March 14 before the parade starts.

Ryan Murphy, chair of the St. Patrick’s Day Extravaganza Committee, praised Grogan and his family’s dedication to the parade. “The Grogan family is such a stalwart of our parade and such an important family in our town when it comes to Irish history,” Murphy said. “And when you look at Kelly specifically, all the different ways he’s helped the Sioux Falls community through his career and giving back, he’s a wonderful selection for grand marshal.”

Grogan was nominated for grand marshal by family members and friends. The parade committee reviewed nominees and selected Grogan. Born and raised in Sioux Falls’ North End, Grogan is part of a large Irish family of 11 children born to Walter Brendan Grogan and Cleopha Isabella (Malloy) Grogan. The middle kid of the bunch, Grogan remembers fondly growing up with his brothers and sisters, as well as all the other families in the neighborhood.

“There were advantages to being the middle child,” he said. “Whenever the older kids got to do something, I was one of the older kids. And when the younger kids got to do something, well I was a younger kid. I tried to use that to get out of chores, too.”

Grogan and his wife Tania de Oliveira Grogan are part-owners of the family-owned restaurant Roots of Brazil and have three children: Kaila Gillespie, Jamie Grogan and Melissa Grogan-Honkomp. Add in the grandchildren (Simone, Shayla, Lucas, Sophia, Izzie, Aubrey and Irelynn), siblings, nieces, nephews and in some cases great-grandchildren, and the immediate Grogan family clan has grown to more than 150. And they still make it an effort to gather every year, enter a float and walk in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

“It used to be the oldest leading the way, but now we’re getting up in years and it’s the youngest of our family that are taking the lead,” Grogan said.

In an additional nod to that family connection, Grogan has invited his brothers to join him in many of his grand marshal duties this year, including the painting of the shamrock and walking alongside him at the head of the parade. There is one thing they aren’t invited to, however.

“Only one of us can speak at the ceremony,” Grogan laughed. “They’d all want a piece of that!”

And the family just might have a special float planned to commemorate Grogan’s grand marshal honor. “This year we’re going to go big,” said Kaila Gillespie, Grogan’s daughter. “The theme will honor our family’s Irish heritage and pay respects to firefighters.”

The parade, which brings together the regional community in celebration, typically features around 100 entries. Placement in the parade is on a first-come, first-served basis and at the discretion of parade officials. Each entry must incorporate an Irish theme. For detailed participation rules, visit the St. Patrick’s Day Extravaganza website at dtsf.com/event/st-patricks-day-parade.

Parade Buttons and Community Partnership

This year, St. Francis House, a nonprofit serving people experiencing homelessness, will receive a portion of button sales. Each year, the committee partners with a nonprofit to support its mission. St. Francis House was founded March 17, 1987, and was christened by then-Father James Doyle, who later became Monsignor James Doyle and served as the parade’s grand marshal in 1999.

Parade Day Events and Route Information

• The traditional painting of the shamrock takes place at 11 a.m. March 14 in front of The First National Bank in Sioux Falls at Ninth Street and South Phillips Avenue. The event is open to the public. Phillips Avenue will be closed between Ninth and 10th streets at 10:45 a.m.

• The parade starts at 2 p.m. at South Phillips Avenue and 13th Street and ends near West Second Street. Streets adjacent to the route close at 1:30 p.m., and parking on Phillips Avenue is restricted beginning late Saturday morning. Parade staging begins at 12:30 p.m. on First Avenue between West 11th and 14th streets.

Sponsors and Special Events

The parade is made possible through generous contributions from sponsors: Avera, Burwell Enterprises, Central Bank, Fiegan Construction, First PREMIER Bank, Jack Rose Social Club, Security National Bank, Xcel Energy, Lloyd Companies, Maguire, Dakota Beverage, Hagen, Wilka & Archer Law, The First National Bank in Sioux Falls, First Interstate Bank, Minervas, State Farm–Tate Teveldal and Sir Lines-A-Lot.

• The “Paint Sioux Falls Green!” initiative will light up the Big Sioux River, Arc of Dreams and St. Joseph’s Cathedral, among others, in green on parade day and
St. Patrick’s Day.

• Lucky 7’s Run Series: The 1-mile, 5-mile and 5K runs kick off on parade day, with the 1-mile race beginning at 1:55 p.m. on South Phillips Avenue at 12th Street. Race details and registration are available at runsignup.com/Race/SD/SiouxFalls/Lucky7sShuffle.

• The “Vanguard Squadron,” an ethanol-powered stunt plane team, will perform a flyby at the start of the parade, weather permitting.

For more information on the parade and festivities or to register, visit dtsf.com/event/st-patricks-day-parade.