February 2, 2019 (Allentown, PA) The Allentown St. Patrick’s Parade Committee, Inc. announced today the schedule of events surrounding the 62nd Allentown St. Patrick’s Parade presented by Giant Food Stores. The Parade will be held March 17, 2019, departing from the Allentown Fairgrounds at 1:30 pm. The Parade events will kick off Saturday, February 17, 2019 at the annual Fundraiser event being held at Christopher’s at the Columbian Home located at 1519 Greenleaf Street, Allentown PA.

The Parade is hosting a food drive to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank of the Lehigh Valley. Presenting sponsor GIANT Food Stores has supplied brown grocery bags to be distributed door-to-door in the West End neighborhood the week before the Parade and they will also be distributed at some of the Parade sponsored events. The Food Drive kicks off at the annual Parade Fundraiser event being held Sunday, February 17, 2019 at Christopher’s at the Columbian Home. Donations will also be taken at the Coronation Celebration and the Irish Cultural Community Day being held March 15 and 16 respectively at Allentown Fairgrounds. The Parade is asking all spectators of the parade to bring a nonperishable food item to donate.

Christopher’s at the Columbian Home will host the 17th annual fundraising event from 3 pm to 6 pm on Sunday, February 17, 2019. Doors are open to the public and tickets are $10 per person in advance and $12 at the door. Children under 12 are free. Tickets include select beers (sponsored by Banko Beverage) and soda with admission and door prizes. Tickets can be purchased online at www.allentownstpatricksparade.com. Music by DJ John Harvey, raffles and the purchase of shamrocks for a $1 will also be a part of the event’s activities. The 2019 King and Queen, Phillip and Kimberly Ferguson will be introduced and the winners of the 2019 Parade Poster Contest will be announced. All guests are asked to bring a nonperishable food item to benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank of the Lehigh Valley. Christopher’s at the Columbian Home is located at 1519 Greenleaf Street, Allentown, PA.

The Parade Pub Crawl, celebrating 11 years in 2019, will take place on Saturday, March 9, 2019 throughout the West End of Allentown. Proceeds from the Pub Crawl benefit the Allentown St. Patrick’s Parade to pay for marching units and bands. There are eight sponsoring pubs; Jack Callaghan’s Ale House, Tavern on Liberty Street, The Roost of Allentown, Volpe’s Sports Bar, Shanty on 19th, Fairgrounds Hotel, Sleepy Cat Urban Winery, and Greg’s West End Saloon.

A donation of $15 to benefit the Allentown St. Patrick’s Parade will include a 62nd Parade commemorative t-shirt. The pub crawl begins promptly at 5:00 pm.

On Friday, March 15, 2019, the flag of the Republic of Ireland will be raised at City Hall Plaza, Allentown at 11:45 am. The flag raising event is to commemorate the contributions of those of Irish heritage who helped to form and grow Allentown and the greater Allentown area. A pipe salute by Mackay Pipe Band and brief remarks by John A. Chaya, President of the Allentown St. Patrick’s Parade Committee, Inc. and the Honorable Raymond O’Connell, Mayor of the City of Allentown will mark the occasion. City Hall is located at 435 Hamilton Street, Allentown.

Phillip and Kimberly Ferguson will be crowned the 2019 King and Queen of the Allentown St. Patrick’s Parade at the Coronation Celebration to be held Friday, March 15, at the Agricultural Hall Annex at the Allentown Fairgrounds.

The Coronation Celebration begins at 7:30 with doors opening at 7:00 pm. The Coronation ceremony takes place at 8:30 pm. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door and include a copy of the 2019 St. Patrick’s Parade Program Book, complimentary beer (sponsored by Banko Beverage), soda, and a door prize ticket. The event is BYOB. There is no cost for anyone under 21. The Allentown Fairgrounds/Agricultural Hall Annex is located at 19th and Liberty Streets, Allentown, PA 18104. For tickets to the Coronation Celebration go to www.allentownstpatricksparade.com.

The 6th Annual Irish Cultural Community Day, presented by the West End Alliance, will be held Saturday, March 16, 2019 from noon to 4:00 pm at the Agricultural Hall Annex at the Allentown Fairgrounds. The Community Day is presented by the Allentown St. Patrick’s Parade Committee, Inc. Irish Cultural Community Day is a family friendly & free event and features demonstrations in Irish dance, hurling, Celtic games, art, bagpipe, fiddle, and ceili, and all will have children and audience participation. New this year will be Celtic Highland Games competition for the children, featuring three events, with prizes given in multiple age categories. For more information go to www.allentownstpatricksparade.com.

A Mass to celebrate St. Patrick will be held Sunday, March 17, 2019 at 9:15 am at Immaculate Conception Church celebrated by the Most Reverend Alfred A. Schlert, Bishop of Allentown. The Mass will feature a procession led by the MacKay bagpipe band that includes former Parade Kings and Queens, and the 2019 King and Queen. Immaculate Conception Church is located at 501 Ridge Avenue, Allentown PA 18102.

The West End Alliance is sponsoring a 5K run on Sunday, March 17, 2019 along the Parade Route. Registration is open through March 12, 2019 or until the limit of 1,000 runners has been reached. No race-day registration will be available. There is a $31 registration fee through March 1; $36 thereafter. Commemorative glassware ($5) and technical shirts ($11.50) will be available for purchase through March 1. Extras will be available for purchase on race day. Start time is 12:15 pm. The 5K will start and end at Muhlenberg College. Prizes awarded. Registration can be made online at www.westendstpats5k.com. Proceeds from the race support neighborhood development efforts and beautification in the West End Theatre District. The race has raised more than $75,000 for the West End Alliance since 2009.

The 2019 Allentown St. Patrick’s Parade Committee is once again hosting a house decorating/porch party contest to be judge by an independent person chosen by the Parade committee. Prizes, donated by the West End Pubs, will be awarded to the “best porch party” and “best decorated house” along the Parade route. The Parade route will form at the Fairgrounds track near the Liberty and 17th Streets gate ( Main Gate vicinity) The Parade will proceed West on Liberty, turn North on 19th Street, west on Tilghman to 25th Street, South on 25th Street to Liberty Street then East on Liberty Street and disband at the Fairgrounds 19th Street gate. All homes along the Parade route are encouraged to participate. Prizes will be awarded immediately upon conclusion of the Parade.

A Massed Bands Exhibition will take place immediately before the Parade at 1:00 PM on North 19th Street between Tilghman and Liberty Streets. All pipe bands will perform in unison under the direction of Drum Major Jason Litz. After the Parade the pipe bands will proceed to a Pub Crawl Sponsoring pub to perform additional tunes.

The 2019 Allentown St. Patrick’s Parade, now in its 62nd year, will start its march at 1:30 pm on Sunday, March 17, 2019. The Parade route will form at the Fairgrounds track near the Liberty and 19th Streets gate (Main Gate vicinity). The Parade will proceed West on Liberty, turn North on 19th Street, West on Tilghman Street to 25th Street, South on 25th Street to Liberty Street, then East on Liberty Street and disband at the Fairgrounds 19th Street gate. The Parade will include the 2019 King and Queen riding in a white coach drawn by a team of Belgium horses followed by Parade divisions each led by a pipe band. For information on the 2019 Allentown St. Patrick’s Parade, email

lisawardarnold@verizon.net. For details on all Parade activities or to purchase individual event tickets go to www.allentownstpatricksparade.com. Follow us on Facebook @ Allentown St. Patrick’s Parade.

The first known St. Patrick’s Parade was held in Allentown in the late 1860’s. Over a century later, in 1955, what we know as the modern day Allentown St. Patrick’s Parade was organized by business and political leaders through the St. Patrick’s Day Observance Society. The Parade ran from 12th and Hamilton Streets to the Immaculate Conception Church on Ridge Avenue. The Parade will celebrate its 62nd Anniversary on March 17, 2019, departing from the Allentown Fairgrounds at 1:30 pm, and for the fourth year the Presenting Sponsor will be GIANT Food Stores. For more information or to participate in the 2019 Allentown St. Patrick’s Parade, go to www.allentownstpatricksparade.com. Registration to participate in the 2019 Parade is open and can be done by completing the online registration form at www.allentownstpatricksparade.com through February 15, 2019. The Allentown St. Patrick’s Parade reserves the right to approve all registration submissions.