St. Patrick’s Parade Weekend is again upon Northeastern Pennsylvania, and Scranton and Wilkes-Barre have done their parts to prepare for the two days when everyone is Irish.
The back-to-back celebrations of Emerald Isle culture will take place on March 11 and 12 in Scranton and Wilkes-Barre respectively and will feature memorial runs and lengthy parade processions full of entertainers, local marchers and dazzling floats.
Scranton’s Parade Day officially beings with a 10 a.m. Mass at St. Peter’s Cathedral followed by the Brian P. Kelly memorial two-mile foot race at 11 a.m. and the parade step-off at 11:45 a.m.
President of the St. Patrick’s Parade Association of Lackawanna County, Jimmy Keeler, said the parade will be dedicated to longtime association member Jim Calpin.
“He was our sergeant at arms, and he passed away quickly on us,” Keeler said. “He was one of the guys who was always around on Parade Day and willing to do his share of the work. He was a great guy from the Minooka section.”
Keeler said 10 bagpipe bands, including the Penn York Highlanders and The Scranton Black Diamonds, and eight high school marching bands are scheduled to participate in the procession.
“The parade route is sure to be filled with music,” Keeler said.
Grand marshal Dave Clark will lead the parade, and other dignitaries are honorary grand marshal Dr. Karen Murphy, parade marshal Robert J. Lynett and honorary parade marshal Gerrie Fitzpatrick Carey.
Keeler said a multitude of Scranton bars, restaurants and venues will participate in festivities with live entertainment and specials, but, he said, one has been particularly supportive in preparation.
“Coopers has been very good to us,” Keeler said. “They ran a fundraiser for us last week, and they’ll have bands over there all day.”
Parade Day in Wilkes-Barre begins with the Renal Race, said city special events coordinator Patty Hughes. Registration for the 5K run, which benefits kidney cancer research and advocacy programs, begins at 8 a.m. followed by a 10 a.m. race start.
Wilkes-Barre resident Frank Pikul has battled the disease since 2011, and his wife, Erin Pikul, was motivated by his fight to found the event.
Lineup for the parade begins at 1 p.m. with a 2 p.m. step-off, and a group of 10 participating bands includes the Irem Temple String Band, Wyoming Valley Pipe & Drum Band and marching bands from Meyers, G.A.R. and Coughlin high schools.
Coughlin graduate and retired physics teacher and football coach Joseph A. Moran will be the grand marshal for the parade after having served students and athletic associations in the Wyoming Valley since 1959.
Three local dance companies, the David Blight School of Dance, the Scoil Rince Na Connemara Dancers and the Conservatory of Dance, will follow Moran’s lead.
Prior to the parade, entertainment for children will be featured at Barnes & Noble on South Main Street.
General manager Renee Lutz said there will be a prepared area in the cafe where kids can color pictures of leprechauns starting at 11 a.m.
“We hang them in the window,” Lutz said. “They love seeing their pictures in the window.”
Local author of “Ian-John and the Leprechaun” Fran Spencer will reads from her work at noon.
“She reads it with an Irish brogue, so it sounds super cool too,” Lutz said.
Adding another layer of entertainment to the parade, local bands will perform from atop particular floats. The Donnybrook Band will play from the McCarthy Tire float. The Broken Road Duo will ride the Building Blocks Learning Center float, and Three Imaginary Boys will perform from the Downtown Wilkes-Barre Business Association float.
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