10th Annual Girardville St. Patrick's Day Parade
By: Jayne Ann Bugda
Updated: March 21, 2013
A weekend of fun planned for Girardsville! The Events Kick off on Friday, March 22nd with the annual decorating contest. All residents of the Borough of Girardville, as well as the immediate adjacent communities of Homesville, Powdermill, Connerton, Wildcat, Preston Hill, and Rappahannock, are invited to take part by decorating their homes or businesses in the spirit of St. Patrick's Day. Out-of-Town judges will judge all homes/businesses, and the following CASH PRIZES will be awarded to the winners:
1st Place $ 100 2nd Place $50
3rd and 4th Place $ 25 each
Then on Saturday:
Parade day kicks off with the Irish themed Mass, which will be celebrated in St. Joseph's Church at 10:00am. The parade will begin at 12 NOON, and will be held RAIN OR SHINE on March 23rd. St. Patrick's Day is commonly known as a day to celebrate the Irish heritage. This year's parade hopes to involve the entire Girardville community, as well as our friends and neighbors from throughout Pennsylvania!
Our Committee is proud to announce that this year, we are honoring "The Churches of Girardville", which have always been a very cherished part of the Irish Heritage.
The Committee is also proud to announce that the Grand Marshal for this year's parade will be Mr. Tim Holden. Tim is a fellow Hibernian and has supported our parade from the very start. He had served as the Schuylkill County Sheriff and then as a Congressman for a total of nearly thirty years of dedicated service. He had helped to make our parade a success in many ways including being very instrumental in bringing former President Bill Clinton to our parade a few years ago. We proudly salute Tim as this years Grand Marshal!
AWARDS will be presented to the winners shortly after the conclusion of the parade. AWARDS CEREMONY will be held outside of Jack Kehoe's Original Hibernian House, located at the corner of Beech and Line Streets in the Borough. Winners of the Decorating Contest will also be announced during the ceremony.
The OFFICIAL COMMEMORATIVE PROGRAM of the 10th Annual Girardville St. Patrick's Day Parade will soon be available. This program includes the tenth in a SERIES of articles on the History of Girardville, Pa. These stories of Girardville's history will be continued every year in the Parade Program, and contains interesting facts about Girardville and the surrounding area. This year, the program features "The Churches of Girardville", which is a very special part of both Irish and Girardville History. This year's Commemorative Program is a very special edition.
PROGRAMS will be available at various local businesses in the Girardville area, as well as the Hibernian House at Beech and Line Streets in the Borough. Copies of the Program, along with official Parade T-Shirts, will also be available along the Parade route, from members of the AOH Jack Kehoe Division, who will be throughout town on the day of the parade. Copies of this Commemorative Program and the Official Parade T-Shirts are only ($10.00) ten dollars each! Get your copy and your shirt today!
On Parade day, members of the Jack Kehoe Division will be at all entrances of the Borough, taking donations towards the 10th Annual Parade. Anyone wishing to contribute towards the parade can contact CHAIRMAN McNelis or any other member of the parade committee. Everyone's support is appreciated by the Jack Kehoe Division, in order to keep this tradition alive and well.
Non-profit groups such as schools, churches, fire companies and other community groups will provide various food items, baked goods, and Irish novelties/souvenirs for sale, all along the Parade Route and throughout the Borough of Girardville. Girard Hose Company will be serving food, beer and non-alcoholic beverages beginning at 8:00am. They will also provide live entertainment in their fire hall. Please support your friends and neighbors of the Girardville community.
Irish ENTERTAINMENT will be plentiful on Parade day! Establishments throughout the Borough will offer various forms of Irish music to be enjoyed by all! From acoustic performers to DJ's there is something for everyone! The famous "Irish Lads" will be performing at the 2nd Street Pub after the parade. The Hibernian House, the Top Cat Caf, Girard Hose Company, The Nowhere Bar, Marrone's Restaurant and others, will provide Irish music throughout the day...and all within walking distance of each other! Bagpipe Bands will also perform throughout the borough after the parade. It is sure to be a GRAND time!
The Parade Committee has again this year named Yuengling as the Official Beverage of this year's parade.
The Parade Route is as follows: Starting at 4th and Main Streets, traveling West on Main to Julia Street, North on Julia to Ogden Street, East on Ogden to 2nd Street, South on 2nd to "A" Street, East on "A" Street to 4th Street, North on 4th to "B" Street, where the parade will disperse.
