Norwich — The Norwich Saint Patrick’s Parade Committee announced Friday that a founding partner of Maple Lane Spirits, John Paul Mereen, will be the grand marshal for the fourth annual Norwich Saint Patrick’s Parade and Festival to be held at 1 p.m. March 5.

Mereen, a former city alderman, past chairman of the Harbor Management Commission and a current member of the city Golf Course Authority, also is the principal at Gerwick Mereen LLC, a local land-use site development firm.

Mereen, who lives in Norwich, has been a longtime advocate of downtown Norwich and the city’s waterfront and is instrumental in starting the Greater Norwich Area Chamber of Commerce’s Rock the Docks summer concert series at the Norwich Harbor.

The Norwich Saint Patrick’s Parade Committee will be hosting a grand marshal dinner at 6 p.m. Feb. 13 at the Harp & Dragon Irish Pub, 130 Main St., to support both the Norwich Saint Patrick’s Parade and the July 4 Norwich Harbor fireworks. Snow date will be Feb. 27.

Tickets are $35 per person and can be purchased at the Harp & Dragon; Billy Wilson's Ageing Still, 57 Broadway; These Guys Brewing, 78 Franklin St., and Foundry 66, 66 Franklin St. Tickets also can be purchased on the website, www.NorwichParade.com.

Sponsorships to this year’s parade also will be split between the parade and the July 4 fireworks festival, which was canceled last year because of lack of funding.

The Parade Committee will host a golf tournament on June 12 at the Norwich Golf Course to benefit both events. Information about the golf tournament can be found at NorwichParade.com.

New this year will be the Rose City Shenanigans 5K Road Race at the beginning of the parade. The race will begin at Courthouse Square, following the parade route past the historical Cathedral of St. Patrick and back where finishers will complete the course at the street festival, which will feature Irish fare and food trucks.

Prizes will be awarded for largest team, best costume and best themed team.