Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich, after consulting with organizers of two weekend events, has announced that the Hibernia Marching Society St. Patrick’s parade and Grillin’ on the Green will be moved to the Fall.
Gilich made his decision after organizers of both events reported a significant spike in interest from potential visitors and vendors because other events had been canceled with concerns over the Coronavirus.
“We viewed the parade and the Town Green event as local events, but with the changing backdrop over the past few days, we’re facing the real potential for thousands more people from other states coming to our city on Saturday,” Gilich said. “These would no longer be local events, and the risk of the unknown is too great.”
The parade and Grillin’ on the Green would be in September or October. Additionally, the city’s Special Needs St. Patrick’s dance planned for this evening also will not be held.
Added the mayor: “We certainly welcome all visitors, and we apologize for the inconvenience this will cause everyone — the visitors, the impacted vendors and local suppliers. However, with these new developments and increased crowd estimates, this re-scheduling is the prudent thing to do.”
