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PITTSTON — The 2015 Pittston City St. Patrick’s Parade is set to be bigger and better than ever.
The city will host its second annual parade at noon on Saturday, March 7 through the streets of downtown.
Pittston City Special Events Coordinator Sarah Donahue and the parade committee have no problem hosting a large parade. The Tomato Festival Parade draws tens of thousands of people to the downtown each year at the end of August.
The St. Patrick’s Parade will take the same route the Tomato Festival Parade travels, starting at the fork on South Main Street, marching all the way up Main Street, coming back down Kennedy Boulevard and ending near Quinn’s Market.
More than 120 groups marched in the 2014 parade, including numerous pipe and drum corps, marching bands, public officials, the Scranton St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee and dozens of local businesses. This year will be much of the same, but bigger.
More than 140 groups are set to march in the parade on Saturday.
“It’s been absolutely overwhelming,” Donahue said. “We’re excited about the response. People said they had a great time last year.”
Although the parade won’t be much different than a year ago, there will be a few changes.
Donahue said one the biggest complaints about last year’s parade was the lack of restroom facilities for parade-goers. This year, she said, that won’t be a problem as the city will have several portable restrooms available throughout downtown.
Also during last year’s parade, cars were allowed to park along Main Street, which made the parade route much tighter. This year, parking will be prohibited along the parade route from Market to Williams streets beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday.
Prospector from Rock 107 will be this year’s MC.
For an hour and a half before and after the parade, the Celtic Rebels will perform at the band shell in the lower Tomato Lot.
Making an appearance for the first time will be the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile. The mobile hot dog will be in the sixth division. On Feb. 14, one of the six Weinermobiles were involved in an accident in East Pennsboro Township, Cumberland County. Donahue comfirmed one of the vehicles would be available for the parade.
“That was the number one question: Didn’t it crash?” Donahue said. “They have a whole fleet of Weinermobiles. It should be interesting seeing that coming down Main Street.”
Appearing in this year’s parade will be six different pipe bands. Ulster Scotish and Ceol Neamh will be new to this year’s parade and will join the Wyoming Valley Pipe and Drums, Celtic United, Greater Scranton Black Diamonds and Ceol Mor, all of which marched a year ago.
Pittston Area and Wyoming Area marching bands and cheerleaders have joined forces once again to march in the parade and will walk in the second division.
Balloon artist TJ Belt will wander the streets of downtown Pittston making balloons from 10 a.m. to noon, then walking in the parade as well.
Donahue’s favorite groups are the animal groups. Blue Chip Farms and Young’s Funny Farm, along with a few others, will bring animals to march in the parade.
“My personal favorites are the animal groups,” she said. “I love to see the dogs, miniature horses and even the therapy ducks. I like to see them all dressed up with their little sweaters on.”
Rooney is parade marshal
Ninety-year-old James Rooney Sr. is the grand marshal for this year’s parade. The lifelong Greater Pittston resident graduated from Jenkins Township High School in 1941. Shortly thereafter, he enlisted in the military where he spent eight months in Europe during World War II.
Rooney then graduated from The University of Scranton and became an accountant for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, retiring from that position in 1984. Married to the former Margaret Mary Hennigan, a former Pittston Area teacher who passed away in 2011, Rooney kept active after retiring from his accounting profession.
He will be fifth in line for the parade, just behind the Pittston City elected officials.
Pregame at the Tomato Bar
Chef Brian Duffy of Spike TV’s “Bar Rescue” will make an appearance in the parade. On Friday, the chef will be at the Tomato Bar and Bistro for “An Evening with Chef Brian Duffy.”
Doors open at 4 p.m. and tickets are $20. Live music will be provided from 7 to 10 p.m. by “U2 Nation,” a U2 tribute band. All proceeds from the door will go back to the parade committee.
Parade Day Mass at St. John’s
The city will host a Parade Day Mass at 9:15 a.m. at the St. John the Evangelist Church on William Street in Pittston. Joe Holden, former director of music at St. John’s and currently a reporter at WPXI-TV in Pittsburgh, will return to play the organ.