By Lynn Forkell Green
The bagpipes will be silent again this year in Manassas.
Over the weekend, the city announced it would again cancel the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade due to the coronavirus pandemic. The event had been tentatively scheduled for March 13.
A mainstay in the city before 2020, the parade had been an annual event since 2000, when the Father Kelley Division, Ancient Order of Hibernians organized the march to display its Irish heritage in the city.
Last year’s parade was canceled just days before it was scheduled due to Gov. Ralph Northam’s declaration of a state emergency due to Coronavirus concerns.
Organizers of the parade have optimistically filed multiple permits this year. Due to Gov. Ralph Northam’s continued restrictions on social gatherings, the city’s police department declined to grant a parade permit, and the City Council upheld the decision during a special meeting.
The parade grew to more than 60 participants in its lineup, including local businesses, marching bands, circus acts, police and fire departments, and elected officials.
The cancelation comes after the city’s annual Christmas parade in December was postponed. Instead of the yearly parade, Santa donned his red suit. The jolly old elf was carted around to city neighborhoods to waive at socially-distant bystanders.
As it now sits, this year’s Christmas parade — the 71st annual, in all of its glory — is scheduled for December 4, 2021.
