by Kristen Lavery

Created on: March 11, 2009

Michael Scott, the lead character on NBC's hit comedy The Office, said "there ain't no party like a Scranton party." This has almost been unofficially adopted as the credo for "Parade Day" in Scranton. Every year, on the Saturday prior to St. Patrick's Day, Scranton celebrates Parade Day.

Scranton's St. Patrick's Day parade and all day (and night) party is considered among the very best in the country. Scranton consistently ranks as the nation's second largest parade in terms of participants per capita. The "electric city" has been observing St. Patrick's Day with a parade since 1962.

Each year the number of parade participants ranges in the five to ten thousand range, and spectators have exceeded 100,000 in number. The parade features many decorative floats, school bands, dance troupes, and of course bagpipe players.

The parade usually begins shortly before noon, however, celebration of parade day can begin much sooner. The expression "five o'clock somewhere" comes into play heavily. If you were to drive down Mulberry Street at 5 AM on parade day, you would see various vendors making their way to the parade route with an assortment of souvenirs and parade accessories.

In the areas around Downtown Scranton, and on the campus of the University of Scranton, parade day celebrants are gearing up for a marathon drink-fest. Part of the conversation on the Sunday following the parade day in Scranton, is discussing how long you lasted, and at what bar or party you ended up.

Scranton's Lackawanna Avenue is a major thoroughfare for the parade route, and has recently undergone a major face lift. It also boasts two of the newest and largest Irish Pubs in the city. Kildare's Irish Pub is the newest addition, and Molly Branigan's has been in business for a few years and is a favorite local watering hole.

I mentioned earlier that Scranton ranks second nationally in celebration size. Savannah, Georgia garners the top honors in terms of largest per capita celebration. Like Scranton, Savannah has a rich Irish tradition, and a wonderful setting to host a great parade and party.

River Street is the place to be when in Savannah. The beautiful scenery is a stark contrast to the serious partying that is going on on the banks of the river Savannah Most bars and restaurants take to the streets, offering drinks to go with plastic cups. March in Savannah can offer temperatures in the 80s, so it is wise to put on a little sun screen before you head out. A green beer or two and you may forget about that burning feeling on your cheeks.

The website "SavannahSaintPatricksDay.com" counts down the days until the parade on it's main page. 2009 marks the one hundred and eighty-fifth edition of the parade in Savannah. This year's party expects some four hundred thousand spectators.

The parade celebration begins with mass at the historic Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, and the actual parade kicks off around 10:15 AM. Hotels in Savannah are nearly impossible to get on any less than nine months notice for this weekend of all weekends in Savannah. Savannah's parade is held on the 17th , which is a Tuesday. Regardless of the fact that it falls on a week day, it is a true local holiday.

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