PITTSTON, ON — Shamrocks line Main Street in Pittston even though it was announced that there will be no St. Patrick's Parade this year.
"The biggest reason why we can't have a parade is, I would say that restrictions on crowd size gatherings," explained parade co-chair Sarah Donahue. "You can't gather in large crowds and what is our parade? A large crowd gathering, obviously. To go into a restaurant, you can't have alcohol without eating, obviously, so that's a big to-do, too because obviously a lot of people like to go out and just drink during a parade."
"I just really thought that it was really early to cancel something like that, not knowing where we will be by the time the parade comes around," said Jerry Nastanski of Plains Township who says he goes to the parade every year.
Officials with the parade say so much goes into the planning and execution of the parade that now was the time to make the call.
But Nastanski is worried about the repercussions of the cancellation.
"The businesses, they depend on it, they really do. And that's something else that really concerns me with everything going on," said Nastanski.
While the streets and sidewalks will continue to be empty through St. Paddy's season, organizers are hoping to replicate this type of celebration online.
"We're looking for a virtual experience, and what I would be looking for soon in the next week or so, I'm going to be looking for past groups to send me photos of their entries from prior years, whether it's a float or walkers or whatever. Just send me a photo and I'm going to put it together in some kind of slideshow and then present that on our parade day which would have been March 6," said Donahue.
The parade committee says to save the date of March 5, 2022, for the return of the 8th St Patrick's Parade in Pittston.