A long-running Bucks County tradition is scheduled for this upcoming Saturday, but with a twist this year.
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The 29th annual Bucks County St. Patrick’s Day Parade has long since run southwest along New Falls Road but this year it is reversing and going northeast. The parade will now start at Conwell-Egan Catholic High School in Bristol Township and march towards the old St. Joseph the Worker property in Falls Township, ending at the Levittown American Baseball Fields by Amelia Drive.
Organizers of the parade said the change is due to the fact that the catholic parish is set to be demolished to make way for a 55-plus community.
Other than the new route the parade is taking, the Bucks County St. Patrick’s Day Parade is still going to be the traditional celebration the residents of the county have come to love and expect.
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More than 2,000 people will be marching in the parade this year. The theme of the parade is “Honor, Faith and Service,” in honor of the two grand marshals, Frank Frazier and Robert McCarthy, who are members of the Ancient Order of the Hibernians and have raised thousands for nonprofits.
“They’re people who have been involved in the Irish community for decades,” said Rep. John Galloway, whose family has been involved in the parade since its beginning. According to Galloway, the grand marshals exemplify the spirit of Catholic service.
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The parade is set to kick off at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 11. A special mass honoring McCarthy and Frazier will be held at 8 a.m. at St. Francis Cabrini Church in Fairless Hills. The public is welcome to attend.
The marchers will include string bands, pipe bands, marching bands, Irish dancers, local law enforcement and emergency responders, veterans, local businesses, charitable organizations, St. Patrick himself and more.
“We are very proud of this parade and we hope it continues to grow,” Galloway, who at one point was the president of the Bucks County St. Patrick’s Day parade, said on Monday.
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“We have high hopes for good weather and just want the parade to go well.”
