St. Patrick's Day parade is back at Lower Burrell, 'Parade City USA'

The St. Patrick’s Day parade organized by a community group in Lower Burrell will return this year on March 12 at 11 a.m.

Parades have become so popular in Lower Burrell lately that during a recent city council meeting, Mayor John Andrejcik dubbed the town “Parade City USA.”

A Christmas parade is in the works.

But there are other parades in the city that are annual traditions, such as Veterans Day and Memorial Day parades and the Burrell High School Seniors parade, he noted.

Although the city won’t break any records, the parades are “feel-good things” that are welcome, the mayor said.

Last year, after Pittsburgh and other cities canceled their St. Patrick’s Day parade, some community-minded residents, including Terry McClain, staged their own parade.

During the pandemic, outdoor events were among the few options for anything publicly festive. The St. Patrick’s Day planners scrambled to quickly come up with the money to pay for insurance and other expenses.

There were a few hiccups last year to get the parade off, but city council members and residents were impressed with the event, said Councilman Chris Fabry.

“It was such a fun, family-friendly event. Everyone there had a great time,” he said.

City police and auxiliary services kept everyone safe last year and will do so again this year, he added.

The parade organizer, Terry McClain said he came up with the idea because of the statewide lockdown on activities last year.

“We figured it would be a great way to bring together our local communities and let people know it was OK to go outside and still enjoy life,” he said.

As for the popularity of the parade — McClain said he didn’t have to try hard to find parade participants.

Apparently, a lot of people were interested in the old-time community event.

This year, McClain has no intention of doing the parade.

But he was approached by some groups that participated last year to stage it again this year.

“The support of Lower Burrell City Council made it easier this year,” McClain said. “There are always loads of behind the scene support when pulling something like this off.”

Organizers are planning to bring back last year’s parade participants, including local fire departments, local marching bands, the American Legion, local Masonic lodges, horses, local dignitaries and others.

More details will be released closer to the parade.