Pittsburgh's St. Patrick’s Day parade to honor late public safety director Glenn Cannon
Glenn Cannon, who helped build Pittsburgh’s public safety system and was a member of the city’s Irish community, will be honored by over 22,000 people marching through Downtown Pittsburgh’s streets for the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade.
The March 14 parade will feature marching bands from local organizations and across the country, Irish dancers and Irish-heritage groups. Assistant Allegheny County Solicitor Tim Finnerty will serve as grand marshal. The parade will feature Miss Smiling Irish Eyes Stephanie O’Donnell, a Penn-Trafford High School 2019 graduate.
Cannon, who died Jan. 20 at age 71, was public safety director from 1986 to 1992, managing nearly 2,700 employees in police, fire, EMS, building inspection and administration and 911. He also worked as Pittsburgh’s emergency response coordinator.
His career in emergency management and public safety began in 1975 when Mayor Pete Flaherty named him to oversee a citywide mobile intensive care/advanced life support ambulance system. There, Cannon established Pittsburgh’s first River Rescue Unit, first Specialized Rescue Units and the city’s first Hazardous Materials Response Team.
Starting at 10 a.m., the March 14 parade will make its way down Liberty Avenue and Grant Street and onto the Boulevard of the Allies before ending at Commonwealth Place. Participating will be the Steeline drumline, the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, Kenny the Kangaroo, Schneider’s Dairy Milk Truck, bands, floats and groups.
Finnerty, this year’s grand marshal, is a graduate of Canevin Catholic High School, University of Pittsburgh and Duquesne University Law School. He started his law career as the labor contract administrator and manager of labor relations for Allegheny County, and now oversees the Department of Court Records and holds probate hearings. He was among the original members when the new parade committee was formed in the early 1990s.
Stephanie O’Donnell, 2020 Miss Smiling Irish Eyes, is a freshman at Slippery Rock University, where she studies exercise science and is a member of the women’s volleyball team. She comes from a family with strong ties to the Irish community, with great-grandparents hailing from County Kerry and County Galway, according to parade officials.
O’Donnell will be joined by court members Courtney McGinley, a senior at Pittsburgh Allderdice High School, and Kelly Bench, a freshman at Penn State University.
McGinley is an honor roll student and member of Students Against Destructive Decisions. She has organized a toy drive for UPMC Children’s Hospital and participated in service trips around Pittsburgh and Port Chester, N.Y. Bench, from McMurray and a 2019 graduate from Seton LaSalle High School, is studying chemical engineering.She is a longtime member of the Belle School of Irish Dance and the Rince na Leon Irish dance club at Penn State.
Prior to the parade, a Roman Catholic Mass will be held at St. Patrick Church in the Strip District at 8 a.m., led by Bishop David Zubik.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., family-friendly entertainment and activities will be offered in Market Square, including the Third Marine Aircraft Wing Band, The Low Kings, the Shovlin School of Irish Dance and the Pittsburgh Ceili Club. The Steeline and local high schools, colleges and fife and drum groups will participate in a drum-off.
The parade, which draws about 350,000 people, has been held annually since its inception in 1950. It highlights a week of Irish-heritage events featuring area artists, musicians and community groups.
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