The Lawrence St. Patrick’s Day Parade Grand Marshal, Judge Dennis (O’)Reiling, and his wife, Linda, in a convertible Friday, a day that barely got out of the 30s.
by Clarke Davis
Magistrate Judge Dennis Reiling was honored as the Grand Marshal of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Lawrence Friday.
It’s the one day each year the judge is an Irishman, when his name is Dennis O’Reiling.
The parade has been a tradition for the judge since the first parade was held 36 years ago in which he drove a convertible carrying the parade queen, his niece, Rhonda Daniels.
Originally organized by a loosely knit group of people who believed there should be a parade, it now operates under the official banner, the Lawrence St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee. Reiling soon became a committee member and served for more than 25 years.
The judge has driven a convertible in the parade every year, except for the pandemic years, 2020-21, when the parade was canceled.
Last year he was the driver for Miss Kansas, Ayanna Hensley, of Dodge City.
The parade committee also sponsors a number of events throughout the year to raise money for its child-centered charity.
“We have raised close to $1.3 million over they years with volunteer help,” he said. “Every penny goes to help children in some way.”
Early in the process, the committee wanted a marching band to lead the parade. Unable to get a high school band from Lawrence, Jefferson County North student and queen candidate Sarah Naaf suggested Reiling contact her school’s band director.
It’s believed the JCN band, under the direction of Tammy Gigstad, began leading the parade in 2004 and continued for nearly 15 years.
“Their colors included green, which also helped,” Reiling said. The band was given$1,000 each year for their efforts.
Throughout the year the committee conducts a number of fundraisers, such as bowling and pool tournaments, poker runs, Shamrock Shuffle 5K and 10K runs, and one big auction.
Because of his occupation as a judge, Reiling can’t solicit donations, but it doesn’t stop him from donating. The most recent purchase at the benefit auction was a jersey belonging to KU’s Ochai Agbaji, the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player.
Other sports memorabilia on display in his man cave includes a photo of the “miracle shot” by KU’s Mario Chalmers, who hit a 3-pointer with three seconds on the clock to tie the game and force an overtime in the 2008 NCAA final, which KU won.
The money from all the fund-raisers is given to many organizations such as the Lawrence Sunrise Project, youth chorale group, a children’s shelter, and lots of sporting activities.
The judge wasn’t sure who would be driving him as the Grand Marshal, but like always he had a car waiting for him.
Patti and Marty Kennedy, former owners of Kennedy Glass Co., has provided him with a Thunderbird convertible to drive each year since 2005.
“With the unsettled weather, we might have the top down and the heater on,” he said.
The 76-year-old judge, an Oskaloosa native, has been on the bench for 48 years and is the longest serving judge in Kansas. He is also the last of those who were elected prior to changing the law, making the bench an appointed position.
Reiling serves as the magistrate judge in the Second Judicial District at Oskaloosa and Holton and is the judge for seven of the eight cities in Jefferson County plus Hoyt in Jackson County.
He and his wife, Linda, together have four daughters, one deceased daughter, four grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. Linda retired in 2021 after owning and managing the American Family Insurance Agency in Oskaloosa for 30 years.
The pretend Irishman and honoree said “The committee and everything dealing with the parade has been a lot of fun for me over the years.”