When the Girardville St. Patrick's Day Parade steps off Saturday, the event's chairman will be bringing up the rear for a final farewell.
"Just so much goes into it ⦠and it's time to pass it off," John P. "Mouche" McNelis said.
The 10th annual event will begin at noon at Fourth and Main streets. Hosted by the Jack Kehoe Div. 1 of the Ancient Order of the Hibernians, the parade will bring in thousands of people from across the state to celebrate the Irish holiday.
"It is impressive to see a small town come to life like this," McNelis said.
He has been at the forefront of the parade's transformation into the best and biggest "little" St. Patrick's Day Parade. It was a process that began more than 10 years ago when he voted against a proposal for the first parade because he wanted it to be more grand.
"I wanted to make an impact right out of the gate," McNelis said.
He spent the next year collecting history on Girardville and visiting every parade possible in Eastern Pennsylvania to meet groups, bands and build a list of contacts. The work paid off with a successful inaugural parade in 2004 that was accented with the borough's history.
While many people may be surprised by the grandeur of an event in Girardville, he said he is not shocked by the event's popularity.
"We took our time at the beginning and we came out of the gate running," McNelis said.
An emphasis on history continued over the next 10 years, as the committee focused on hitting all aspects of the town. This year, the committee is honoring the churches of Girardville. McNelis said the church has played an important role in the community for a long time. They can even be traced back to the infamous Molly Maguires, a secret band of Irish immigrant miners that allegedly used violence and murder to address grievances against mine bosses.
"The churches are very close to our hearts," he said. "We are honored to be honoring them."
The committee will also be recognizing former U.S. Rep. Tim Holden, as he was selected to serve as grand marshal for Saturday's parade. A fellow Hibernian in the Pottsville division, Holden was influential in getting the parade's memorable visit from President Bill Clinton in 2008.
McNelis said they had planned on honoring Holden and this was the perfect time with him leaving office after 30 years of public service. Holden was defeated in April's primary election by current U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-17.
"In our eyes, he did nothing but good for everybody," McNelis said.
Although McNelis thinks this year's parade may not be as big as in previous years due to other events around the region and economic issues, he knows that a good number of regular visitors will still be making the trek from all corners of the state. Groups from Wilkes-Barre and Allentown will march with AOH representatives from Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. He expects about 70 people from the Pittsburgh area, who are making their 10th trip to Girardville.
"That is a feather in our hat," McNelis said about the loyalty of supporters.
In preparation for the event, state Route 4030 will be closed between 8 and 9 a.m. to all traffic for parade formation. McNelis advises everyone to use routes 61 and 54 to get into Girardville.
It is this legwork that helped McNelis, 51, decide to retire. Every year he has to acquire permits from PPL and work with the state Department of Transportation for road closings, among a list of other responsibilities.
"It is time to move on and time to relax," he said. He added he may remain in the background to help with the transition to the new organizers, but he will not take on the brunt of the responsibilities.
With the departure of McNelis and committee Treasurer Tom Dempsey, rumors have been buzzing over the future of the favorite holiday tradition. Is this the beginning or the end of the parade? Will this year be the final year?
These are rumors McNelis is happy to squash.
"Yes, the parade will go on," he said.