Vincent Irizarry. (Photo from Facebook.)
Soap star Vincent Irizarry will be the grand marshal at this year’s Newellian Easter parade, bringing some celebrity notoriety to the neighborhood tradition.
The actor got his start in daytime television in the early 1980s with a recurring role in “Guiding Light.” Since then, he’s gone on to star in just about every soap opera you can think of: “One Life to Live,” “The Young and the Restless,” “All My Children,” “Days of Our Lives” and most recently “The Bold and the Beautiful.”
Irizarry is friends with neighbor Belynda Ortiz. When she told him about the parade, he expressed interest and agreed to serve as the grand marshal.
Irizarry joins only a handful of celebrity grand marshals who have participated in the parade. In the past, Texas icon Kinky Friedman—a singer, songwriter, novelist, humorist, politician, defender of stray animals and former Texas Monthly columnist—led the parade route.
“It’s a show up and do-your-thing event,” Simmons said. “I never know what we’re going to get. There’s no rules. It’s very creative and totally fun.”
The parade, in its 15th year, will start at 3 p.m. April 12.
