In a time when pandemic restrictions have canceled numerous parades and events, a Lower Burrell community group looking to spread a little cheer is planning a St. Patrick’s Day parade March 6.
Featuring fire trucks and community groups, the parade route is less than a mile long.
The stripped-down event, which is set to start at 11 a.m, should last no more than 20 minutes, according to organizers.
Event details are pending, but here’s the planned route: Start from Stewart Elementary School, at Leechburg Road and Nevada Street, to Hillcrest Shopping Center at Leechburg and Wildlife Lodge roads.
“With everything closed down due to the virus, the community needs a little ray of hope and happiness,” said Terry McClain, the parade organizer. McClain has worked on multi-community events in the past, including the Fallen Officer food drive and the Officer Brian Shaw Memorial Scholarship Ride.
“Putting a smile on people’s faces in troubling times is priceless,” he said.
Pittsburgh and Philadelphia have canceled their St. Patrick’s Day parades because large gatherings are not permitted under state and CDC covid-19 pandemic restrictions.
Under orders from Gov. Tom Wolf and the state Department of Health, the maximum occupancy for all events or gatherings, including sporting events, is 500 people for indoor events and 2,500 people for outdoor events, depending on the size of the venue, said Maggi Barton, deputy press secretary for the state Health Department.
The parade in Lower Burrell, with about 11,000 residents, will not attract thousands of people, organizers said.
“Those who do watch outside, we are encouraging them to follow CDC guidelines, with all spectators wearing masks and family units maintaining a 6-foot distance from others,” said Leslie Zellers, one of the organizers. She has worked with outdoor events under pandemic restrictions, including the Officer Brian Shaw Memorial Scholarship Ride.
Lower Burrell Mayor John Andrejcik said that although the city is not sponsoring the parade, he believes it shouldn’t attract a ton of people based on the organizers’ plans and parade’s short duration and distance.
“It’s no different for marching for any cause,” he said. “You can’t really stop it.
“They can assemble to do the event, and we as the city, we have to hope they stay within the parameters of the governor’s pandemic orders and the other applicable laws out there,” the mayor said.
Besides pandemic restrictions on group gatherings, events cannot block intersections or impede traffic unless the organization secures the proper permits well in advance, he said.
Zellers said she didn’t think there would be traffic issues.
Generally, the mayor is in favor of the event as long as it is pandemic-safe.
“This is the kind of stuff we like to see happening in Lower Burrell: feel-good events,” Andrejcik said.
The parade is a volunteer event, with participants donating their time and resources.
The city doesn’t have a history of hosting St. Patrick’s Day parades.
