The Amagansett Chamber of Commerce has announced that East Hampton Volunteer Ocean Rescue will collectively serve as grand marshal of this year’s Am O’Gansett Parade, which will happen at noon on March 14.
The parade — the world’s shortest, its organizers claim — is a lighthearted take on the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Participants typically march on a stretch of Amagansett’s Main Street, turn around, and return to the starting point.
“We proclaim 2020 the Year of the Ocean, and what better way to celebrate [than] with some of its most ardent supporters and guardians, the East Hampton Volunteer Ocean Rescue,” reads a statement from the chamber. “EHVOR plays a critical role in both the Village and Town of East Hampton, providing emergency response and rescue to distressed swimmers and mariners.”
The group, the statement continues, “is deeply rooted in the East End’s long tradition of ocean rescue, really dating back to the U.S. Life-Saving Service, and picking up the mantle from the East Hampton Baymen’s Association Dory Rescue Squad. We are so grateful to every member of EHVOR for their tireless efforts to help every swimmer and mariner in distress, to teach our young people lifeguarding skills, and watch over us in any type of water-based event like the Polar Bear Plunge, triathlons, and open swims. They are the true guardians of our ocean and bays.”
