Trio of parades set to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day
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Wilkes-Barre announced its 34th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, while Pittston is readying its first in over a half century.
Wilkes-Barre’s parade is set for March 16, beginning at 2 p.m. Pittston’s is a week earlier at noon on March 8.
Both are family-themed events filled with Irish heritage and culture.
Wilkes-Barre Parade
In Wilkes-Barre, children are invited to Barnes & Noble College Bookstore for a St. Patrick’s Day story hour at noon. Just Plain Crazy Face Art will also be available at noon on Public Square with Irish-themed facepainting for children and adults.
The Irish folk group “The Hooley Boys,” will be performing before the parade on the bandshell on Public Square at 1 p.m. Many other performances by local bands and dance companies will be featured in the parade.
For those wishing to kick off parade day on a healthy note, runners and walkers can register for “The Renal Race 3”. This 5k race promotes kidney cancer research and awareness is sponsored by the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 36. The race begins at 9 a.m. on Public Square.
The Wilkes-Barre parade route will begin at South Main and South streets and will travel along South Main to Public Square, around the F.M. Kirby Center and end at the intersection of North Main and Union streets.
The parade is sponsored by McCarthy Tire, Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, City Centre by Amato Properties, Stell Enterprises, Humford Equities, Pennoni Associates, Inc. and Franchelli, Inc.
Pittston Parade
Sarah Donahue, the city’s special events coordinator, said the parade committee has been working tirelessly to plan the event.
“We are very enthusiastic about the response and we’re hearing a lot of buzz from all over the region,” she said. “Now, we’re just praying for good weather.”
She said 114 groups have signed up to march. They include five pipe-and-drum bands, the Pittston Area marching band, Eclectic Circus performers and band, a traveling Wizard of Oz performance, fire companies, elected officials, the Scranton St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee, Irish dancing groups, numerous local businesses and several animal rescue groups with some of their animals.
Before the parade, a Mass of Thanksgiving will be celebrated by Monsignor John Bendik at 9:15 a.m. at St. John the Evangelist Church on William Street in Pittston.
The Pittston parade will take the same route the Tomato Festival Parade travels. It will start at the fork on South Main Street, march all the way up Main, come back down Kennedy Boulevard and end near Quinn’s Market.
The two bridges in Pittston will be closed to traffic just before parade start time, around 11:30 a.m., as will the parade route. The lineup area in South Pittston will be closed around 10:30 a.m.
If you’re coming from Wilkes-Barre, use River Street and take a right at Tony’s Pizza onto Welsh Street and keep going until you hit Main Street. Take a right, then take your first left on Chestnut Street (Shandra’s Pizza) and that will put you on the Pittston Bypass. Take your first left, which is Tedrick Street/Columbus Boulevard or a left onto William Street, which is at the second light.
There is a parking lot across from St. John the Evangelist Church on William Street. There is also a parking lot behind the YMCA on Kennedy Boulevard, but that street will close as parade time nears. An alternate lot is the Upper Tomato Festival lot, adjacent to the Fire House on Spring Street.
Scranton Parade
The massive Scranton Parade begins with Mass at St. Peter’s Cathedral at 10 a.m. on March 15 and the parade beings at noon.
Since 1962 the St. Patrick’s Parade Association of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania conducts the nationally acclaimed parade the weekend before the feast day of St. Patrick.
