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St. Patrick's Day procession held in Pittston

While the annual St. Patrick's Day parade was canceled in Pittston, parade organizers thought of a fun, smaller-scale alternative.

PITTSTON, Pa. — There was no big display of Irish pride in downtown Pittston - but there was a small nod to what would have been the city's annual St. Patrick's Day Parade.

A small procession took place along the parade route, starting on Main Street.

"It's a surprise for the community because we didn't want people to gather and watch, but we wanted to commemorate our day, this is our day, and we were going to do something no matter what," said organizer Sarah Donahue.

Organizers canceled the annual parade in January due to the pandemic.

RELATED: St. Patrick's Day Parade canceled in Pittston

The committee did not make a public announcement about the procession because they did not want to draw crowds.

Missy Yedesko hopes the procession lifted the spirits of people in the community.

"We were trying to keep it low. It was a secret, hush, hush, but little by little if one knew, the other knew, and they told someone and told a friend, but it's something," said Yedesko of Pittston.

"I think people will be a little sad because they can't be out here to participate but happy that the committee is still moving forward and doing something," said Mary Kroptavich, the Main Street Manager for the City of Pittston.

Parade committee members and a few members of the Wyoming Valley Pipe and Drum Band and the Emerald Isle Step Dancers were part of the event.

Those who took part are happy they were able to come up with a safe alternative.

Jennifer Woss runs Emerald Isle Step Dancers - she says she's been part of the parade since it first started in 2014.

"We are super excited to be involved and just get in our dresses after a whole year, it's super exciting," said Woss.

Last year, the parade did go on as scheduled. This is the first year the committee was forced to cancel.

The plan is to hold the 8th Annual Pittston St. Patrick's Day Parade on Saturday, March 5, 2022. 

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