BY JOHN USALIS

The 2020 Girardville St. Patrick’s Day Parade is officially canceled.

The parade committee cited public health concerns for residents, spectators and participants amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Joseph Wayne, president of the Girardville Ancient Order of Hibernians, Jack Kehoe Division 1, the main sponsor of the popular parade, made the announcement Tuesday. This year would have been the 17th annual event.

The parade was originally scheduled for this Saturday, but on March 15, Wayne announced it would be postponed with the goal of setting a new date. He said Tuesday that with continuing restrictions by the government and the need for social distancing, it was necessary to cancel.

“We’re going to carry the theme through next year,” he said by phone, noting the parade will honor the sons and daughters of Girardville who were military veterans.

“Our major donors who donated the bands and so forth told us to keep the donations until next year, which was very generous of them,” he added. “We only had one institution that asked for their money back, and they’ll probably donate next year.”

The 2021 parade is scheduled for Saturday, March 27.

“We’re in good shape financially to put the parade on, and it gives us time to get more military personnel involved,” Wayne said. “It should be bigger and better as long as we don’t have any viruses or snowstorms.”

Wayne was referring to two previous years when the parade was postponed due to snowstorms.

The committee asks any interested participants, vendors and spectators to plan ahead for next year’s parade and festivities.

Contact the writer: jusalis@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6023