STROUDSBURG, Pa. — Once again, downtown Stroudsburg will not be painted green for the annual Pocono Irish-American Club St. Patrick's Day Parade.
The organization took to its Facebook page over the weekend to break the news.
"It's unbelievable; it really is, it really is, yep. I always look forward to it every year, definitely," said Jim Moran, Stroudsburg.
Because of the pandemic and restrictions in place, members decided the show could not go on this year.
Teddy's Tavern on N. 2nd Street is a hot spot for the parade. Joe Schraeder is the owner. His dad was the last grand marshal in 2019.
"We were looking forward to it. We kind of had it in the back of our minds that it wasn't going to work out again two years in a row now. It's unfortunate, but I mean with still all the safety protocols, you kind of have to do what you have to do now," said Schraeder.
People who normally come to the parade are upset that it's canceled for another year but understand that safety comes first.
"Through this whole thing, we've just been taking it day by day, and everything that we've been seeing is hopefully, hopefully, next year, or maybe in the fall time, everything will open up again more. Yeah, so we are hopeful for next year," said Schraeder.
"With our governor limiting everything, I mean you need the holidays to really make some money," said Moran.
The Pocono Irish-American Club plans to look for ways to promote Irish culture in Monroe County in the absence of the parade.
The group set a date for next year, hoping to paint the streets green once again on March 20, 2022.