Peekskill St. Patrick’s Parade Returning After COVID Absence
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By Rick Pezzullo
The popular St. Patrick’s Parade is returning to the streets of Peekskill for the first time since 2019.
The downtown extravaganza is set to take place on Saturday, March 12 at 3 p.m., following a 1:30 p.m. mass at the Church of the Assumption. The parade, which normally draws hundreds of spectators, was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The fun-filled event is sponsored by the Saint Patrick’s Committee of Peekskill, Peekskill Business Improvement District (BID) and the City of Peekskill.
“Downtown Peekskill is so excited to host the Peekskill St. Patrick’s Parade again after its hiatus due to COVID,” said BID President Bill Powers. “The parade has always been a sign of springtime renewal, and let’s hope this year, it signals a return to normalcy where neighbors and visitors can gather for this annual celebration.”
Sue Sheridan, chairperson of the Saint Patrick’s Committee of Peekskill, said there will be no rules regarding masks or safe distancing for parade watchers.
“It is an outdoor event and people will need to be responsible for their own comfort level of how they would like to view the parade,” Sheridan stated.
The parade starts at South Division St. and 2nd St. and proceeds to 1st St., Union Ave., South St., South Division St., North Division St., Main St., and James St. before ending at Brown St.
The Grand Marshal for the parade is former Peekskill Mayor and Westchester County Legislator John Testa. Five aides are business owners John Sharp, Ruben Alvarez and Kerry Scardino, Peekskill professional firefighter and paramedic Patrick MacLennan and State Trooper John Shaughnessy, who is a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians Div. 18 and the Hudson Valley Irish Fest.
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/
