The 51st annual Scranton St. Patrick’s Day Parade kicks off in just eight days.
A tradition since 1961, this Lackawanna County parade has gained recognition as the second largest parade in the nation with over 12,000 participants, the largest taking place in Savannah, GA.
The parade begins at 11:45 a.m. on Saturday, March 10th with a prior Mass at St. Peter’s Cathedral at 10 a.m.
The parade, which features floats, bands, balloons, and more, begins in front of the Cathedral and “proceeds to Wyoming Ave., then to Lackawanna Ave. over Jefferson Ave. and down Spruce St. to get to Washington Ave.” (http://www.stpatparade.com/).
In order to stop traffic and promote safety, Road Scholar Transport is working together with the Scranton police department, using six of our awareness trucks to block the main streets of Scranton.
Road Scholar will also be towing a flatbed float for one of Scranton’s law offices.
Come check out Road Scholar’s trucks and show your support for great causes on parade day…whether you are passing by the trucks on your way to the parade or running by them during the Brian P. Kelly Memorial 2 mile race.
This race takes place at 11 a.m. sharp and follows the 2 mile parade route, beginning and ending in front of the Scranton Cultural Center. Those wishing to participate can either pre-register via mailing in the online form on the parade’s website (http://www.stpatparade.com/) or in person on parade day from 9 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. at the Lackawanna College Student Union Center. Pre-registration cost is $12 while cost on parade day is $15. But get there early because the first 250 people to register will receive souvenir t-shirts. The top two male and female winners in each age category will also receive a trophy.
And for those Idol fans out there, last year’s American Idol Finalist James Durbin will be performing on the KRZ float during the parade! Come check it out. And best of all, it’s free!
According to tradition, the St. Patrick’s Day Parade tradition dates back to 1737 in Boston “when colonists of Irish descent marked the event with a modest parade” http://history1800s.about.com/od/entertainmentsport/a/stpatparade.htm.
But did you know that St. Patrick was not of Irish descent?
If you are Irish, then you probably have heard the story before. Patrick was of British descent and although born in a Christian family, did not have interest in the religion. That was until he was kidnapped at the age of 16 and brought to Ireland where he became a slave for seven years, until one day, a voice in his dreams told him to leave. He escaped and went back to his family in Britain. But one day, that same voice from his dreams encouraged him to return to Ireland. Becoming a priest, Patrick spent his life trying to convert the Irish to the Christian religion, using the three leaves of the shamrock to symbolize the holy trinity (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/03/110316-saint-patricks-day-2011-march-17-facts-ireland-irish-nation/).
March 17th became known as St. Patrick’s Day, the day he passed away.
Come celebrate with the Irish on March 10th and help keep Road Scholar’s awareness trucks on the road by loading your freight on our trucks at www.roadscholar.com.
What Irish traditions/beliefs do you have? Do you know of any unordinary or interesting traditions? List your comments below.
