Sparta - Although officially it was her extensive involvement in the community, some believe that it was actually that mysterious luck of the Irish that placed Ailish Hambel as the Grand Marshall of the 2006 Saint Patrick’s Day parade. Hambel will lead off Sussex County’s third annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade that will walk down Newton streets on Saturday, March 11. Hambel, who is the owner and operator of Ailish’s Alpine Paint Centre on Woodport Road, mayor of Sparta Township and a ten-year member of the township council, was selected from 22 candidates for this honor. Born in Kilarney in County Kerry, Hambel grew up in Skibberrean in County Cork and received her schooling in Ireland, England, and France. She came to the U.S. at the age of 20 and was welcomed to Brooklyn by a cousin, Janet McAteer. It was here that she met her husband Jack. They moved the family to Sparta in 1984. Their three children are Edward, who is a member of the elite Air Force Thunderbird team; Casey, a freshman at Elon University in North Carolina; and John, Jr., high school sophomore who attends both Sparta and Sussex County Technical schools. “I am so honored. It has been one of the greatest honors I have ever received, and one that I’m very proud of - one of the best things that has ever happened to me,” said Hambel, commenting on her selection as this year’s grand marshal. She recalled how “totally surprised” she was when, Mary and Dennis Harrington, members of the parade committee, stopped by her store to inform her of her selection. According to Mary Harrington all through the selection process, Hambel’s name kept rising to the top, and when the choices had dwindled down to three, Hambel’s name again rose above the rest. “She was a member of the original parade committee,” said Harrington, “and we knew how hard she worked. She wouldn’t be where today if not for her work ethic.” “Ailish epitomizes what we want in our grand marshal. We set a tradition that stands for community spirit. Ailish represents Irish heritage and all that they do for family, friends, and community,” said Dennis Harrington at the dinner celebration held in Hambel’s honor at the Lake Mohawk Country Club on Feb. 25. Hambel’s brother, Donald, who traveled from Ireland to attend the festivity, said that they had always been taught to give back to those who touch their lives. Hambel is the first female chosen to be grand marshal; she joins previous honorees Father Boland of St. Francis de Sales Church in McAfee and Steve Oroho, freeholder and councilman for Franklin. The parade, which is sponsored by the Ancient Order of Hibernians, St. Oliver Plunckett Division of Sussex County, will step off at 12 noon, March 11, from Spring Street and end at Memory Park in Newton. Before the parade, there will be a mass at 8 a.m. mass at St. Joseph’s Church, 15 Elm Street, Newton.