Drivers traveling through Greensburg on Thursday may have to find an alternate route.

Part of South Main Street will be closed at some point Thursday morning to accommodate a Cops for Trump rally with Vice President Mike Pence, said Tom Bell, fire chief and public works director. But an exact timeframe for the closure was unknown.

“Probably the best thing is to avoid town between 10 and noon,” Bell said.

The noon rally will be held in Mid Town Plaza next to City Hall and the police station. Cops for Trump describes itself as a coalition of police officers who support Trump’s re-election campaign. Why Greensburg was selected remains unclear.

Members of the Secret Service have been scoping out the city for the past week.

Rally for Black Lives slated

Also on Thursday morning, a Rally for Black Lives event is planned at Greensburg’s St. Clair Park. It is slated for 10 a.m. to noon.

Rally organizers said Westmoreland County residents will attend the gathering “to make this a place where all of us have our rights respected, and where we vote in real leaders who reflect the very best of every kind of American.” They said Greensburg’s mayor and council members have been invited.

Pence has been doing bus tours of Pennsylvania. After the outdoor rally, he is scheduled to visit Guy Chemical Plant in Somerset at 2:30 p.m.

Bell said South Main Street will be closed between Third Street and Euclid Avenue starting about 30 minutes before Pence arrives at the rally until after he leaves. City firefighters will be stationed nearby. Trooper Steve Limani said state police will be present and for drivers to avoid the area. Greensburg Police Chief Robert Stafford could not be reached.

The Mid Town Plaza lot will be closed for anyone who typically parks there. Part of the lot will remain open for shoppers at Dollar General and Scott Electric Lighting Gallery. Parking is available in several city lots in the area and meters along the streets.

Tickets can be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis at events.donaldjtrump.com. Attendees will be allowed into the rally area between 10 and 11:30 a.m.

The event is listed as occurring at the Greensburg police station, but city officials have said the rally is not on their property and city police are not playing a role in it. Mid Town Plaza is on adjacent property within feet of the department’s entrance.

A disclaimer on the ticket site states that anyone registering voluntarily assumes any risks associated with potential exposure to the coronavirus.

Gov. Tom Wolf has enacted limits on the size of gatherings in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. At outdoor events, the maximum crowd size is 250 people.

It was unclear how many tickets were available.

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