Hundreds of people packed the sunshine-lit streets of downtown New Kensington on Saturday for the return of the city’s holiday parade.

It was a bigger turnout than pre-pandemic years, according to Carol Grunden.

“I think people are just tired of being confined,” she said.

The covid-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the city’s holiday festivities last year as the upended community traditions the world over.

Carol Grunden and her husband, Jack, live in Shaler, but they’re originally from West Deer. Their grandsons are both percussionists in the Valley High School marching band. They love a good marching band, they said.

The city’s holiday season officially kicked off the night prior with a tree-lighting ceremony, caroling, and a buffet-style dinner hosted at the Fourth Avenue fire station by Mayor Tom Guzzo.

The meaningfulness of it all — of being able to come together after nearly two years in which staying safe meant staying apart — was not lost on parade-goers.

Michael McCully and his wife, Rachel, brought their infant son Jameson down from their Seventh Street to watch the parade. Their daughter was performing as part the Twirl Time dance troupe in Tarentum.

“It feels good,” Rachel McCully said of being out and about amongst the festivities. “It’s nice to support the community.”

It was a sentiment shared by Rebecca Morrow, who was out with her 2-year-old granddaughter, Sophia.

“This is awesome,” Morrow said. “We’re just glad to get out of the house.”

Along with the marching band and dance troupe, the parade featured floats representing many community businesses as well as a slew of fire trucks from New Kensington and beyond. Wrapping it all up was one particularly special fire truck.

Guzzo, who announced the floats, noted that the perfect weather made it possible for the truck’s passenger to make it to New Kensington from the North Pole.

Santa stood atop the truck, and the children along the parade route screamed.

He told them they’d all made the “nice” list. He said the adults in the crowd did, too.

After all was said and done, Guzzo was giddy.

It was a great parade with perfect weather, he said – both welcome sights after last year’s cancellations.

“Did you see the crowd? Fourth and Fifth avenues were packed with people,” he said. “I’m so thrilled. It’s perfect.”

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