Dan Koury was 10 years old when his grandfather recruited him to carry the Ancient Order of Hibernians banner in the first Pottsville St. Patrick’s Day parade. Now he and his sister, Lorraine Koury, will be co-grand marshals Saturday.
Scranton’s parade is also Saturday, featuring a special patriotic section. The Wilkes-Barre parade is Sunday and has a new event on the schedule.
The Pottsville parade is named for the Kourys’ grandfather, Leo F. Haley. It is being celebrated as the 50th anniversary of the parade. It was canceled on a few occasions for blizzards and the pandemic.
It will be Dan Koury’s first time riding in the parade after decades of marching with flags. His sister is also a longtime parade volunteer.
Cheryl Murtha looks on as her husband, William Murtha, left, and Wilkes-Barre Mayor George C. Brown hold up a proclamation naming William Murtha as grand marshal for the 46th Wilkes-Barre St. Patrick’s Day Parade during a press conference Friday at City Hall. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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The Penn York Highlanders Bagpipe Band from Athens march down Lackawanna Ave. in Scranton during the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in 2019. Jason Farmer / Staff Photographer
The Pottsville Area High School band warms up before the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Pottsville, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (MATTHEW PERSCHALL/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR)
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Parade goers watch as a giant inflatable dinosaur moves along S. Main Street at the 44th annual Wilkes-Barre St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Sunday, March 10, 2024. BILL TARUTIS / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Members of the Kistler Elementary Student Council walk in the Wilkes-Barre St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Sunday, March 9, 2025. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Wilkes-Barre Area’s Isabella DeGraffenreid dances in the Wilkes-Barre St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Sunday, March 9, 2025. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Erin Keating (COURTESY OF THE ST. PATRICK’S PARADE ASSOCIATION OF LACKAWANNA COUNTY
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Cheryl Murtha looks on as her husband, William Murtha, left, and Wilkes-Barre Mayor George C. Brown hold up a proclamation naming William Murtha as grand marshal for the 46th Wilkes-Barre St. Patrick’s Day Parade during a press conference Friday at City Hall. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
“It means a tremendous amount,” he said.
Koury remembers the effort and coordination it took to get the first parade on the street.
Fortunately, his grandfather had a knack for community organizing. He started early, as president of Pottsville Catholic High School’s class of 1952. The Korean War veteran was active in veterans groups, civic and sports groups, and was the town’s official Santa Claus for decades.
Haley’s final career was in the Schuylkill County court system. He was still advising parade organizers when he died at age 85 in 2020.
The grand marshals still live in the Pottsville area.
The Pottsville parade steps off at noon from 12th and West Market streets and ends at Pottsville Fire Company No. 1.
There is a breakfast before the parade and an official party afterward.
Scranton
Also on Saturday, the region’s largest parade begins in downtown Scranton at 11:45 a.m.
This year’s parade is larger than last year’s. There are at least 145 entries, including nine bagpipe bands, seven high school bands and a string band.
The Lackawanna Historical Society organized a contingent to celebrate the United States’ 250th anniversary. It is called the Eras Tour, a reference to singer Taylor Swift.
Marchers will include a Revolutionary War reenactment group called the Jersey Grays, the Confederation of Union Generals, the Dearly Departed Players, the Everhart Museum and more. The Underground Miners, a historic preservation group, plans to march with a mine car full of coal. The Daughters of the American Revolution will celebrate women’s fight for voting rights in the U.S. and in Ireland. Girl Scouts in period clothing of the 1980s will distribute flags.
The grand marshal is Erin Keating, superintendent of the Scranton School District.
Before the parade, there is a Catholic Mass and the Brian Kelly Memorial race. Registration for the 11 a.m. race is available at stpatparade.com/brian-p-kelly-race-info.
The Scranton parade will be televised on WYOU and streamed online at 28/22news.com.
Wilkes-Barre
On Sunday, parade day in Wilkes-Barre features a new race. The inaugural Diamond City Shamrock 5K Run/Walk to fight colorectal cancer begins at 11 a.m. March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. To register, see my.raceresult.com/379842/info.
The parade begins at 2 p.m. from South and South Main streets and goes through Public Square.
This year’s parade will include over 60 groups. It takes more than 76 people to handle the five giant balloons.
Mayor George C. Brown selected retired Wilkes-Barre City Fire Department Assistant Chief William Murtha as the grand marshal of the 46th parade. Murtha, the son of an immigrant from County Mayo, holds dual citizenship and visits Ireland frequently.
He served the Wilkes-Barre City Fire Department for 28 years, retiring in March 2020 as an assistant chief. He has taught emergency response classes at several institutions.
Murtha remains active in the community and currently serves as chairman of the Fire Civil Service Commission and treasurer of the Wilkes-Barre Parking Authority.