SCRANTON -- This weekend will be full of St. Patrick's parades throughout our area. Parade planners were lucky in Lackawanna County because the predicted storm turned out to be a bust.
The tents going up along Lackawanna Avenue in Scranton will soon be full of a few thousand people.
This is our Olympics," said Kenneth Eiswerth at Kildare's Irish Pub. "This is our chance to shine, our chance to show what we can do. So, I think it's fun."
The Scranton St. Patrick's Parade brings big businesses to bars along the parade route.
"A lot, and I think we all felt it last year when the weather was awful last year. A lot of us count on this money and it just wasn't there last year. But, things run in cycles and it's going to be a very big year this year," said Michael Kearney, Radisson Lackawanna Station Hotel.
Downtown Scranton was all of 10 degrees last parade day. This year, businesses braced for piles of snow, but only a dusting arrived Wednesday.
"We're looking at 40 degrees almost, so it could be a really great day for everyone. So, we're excited for that. And we didn't get 14 inches of snow this week, so that helps everything," Eiswerth said.
"Well, the beginning of the work is the 15-day weather forecast, as soon as that comes up on the phone, we start taking a look at the 15-day forecast and the weather's been looking pretty good for the whole time," Kearney said.
Most of those snow missed Carbondale, too. The city north of Scranton is having its first st. Patrick's Parade in more than 100 years.
Carbondale's first parade was back in 1833. According to historical records, it snowed three feet that day. This year, Mayor Justin Taylor says they only had to check to see if sidewalks were clear.
"In true Carbondale fashion, nothing goes off without a little bit of excitement. So, we're glad we didn't get the snow we predicted during the week," Mayor Taylor said.
Carbondale's parade is scheduled for Friday night at 7 p.m. Scranton's parade steps off at 11:45 a.m. Saturday.