60th annual Salute to Santa Parade set for Saturday in McKeesport
The parade will begin at 11 a.m. along Fifth Avenue.
By the MVI
The City of McKeesport’s 60th annual Salute to Santa parade kicks off at 11 a.m. Saturday along Fifth Avenue.
Parade units will begin lining up at 10 a.m. on Water Street near the Palisades Ballroom.
The reviewing stand is located at the corner of Fifth and Walnut streets.
Weather-permitting, Tube City Community Media will carry live video on its YouTube channel.
A pop-up holiday market will return this year in the Cox’s Corner parking lot and the Peoples’ Building at the corner of Fifth of Walnut. The vendor fair will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and include holiday gifts, food and refreshments., The planned parade lineup is as follows:
DIVISION I
North Versailles Township Police Sgt. Vince DiCenzo on motorcycle; McKeesport Area High School Air Force JROTC, Allegheny County Mounted Unit, McKeesport Police Chief Josh Alfer, Assistant Chief Sidney Summers and K9s, McKeesport Fire Chief Jeffrey Tomovcsik, McKeesport Ambulance Rescue Service Chief Bill Miller, Sen. Nick Pisciottano state Rep. Dan Goughnour and Allegheny County Councilman-elect Aaron Adams, McKeesport Mayor Mike Cherepko; City Administrator Tom Maglicco; McKeesport Council members President Rich Dellapenna, Vice President LuEthel Nesbit, James T. Barry Jr. Brian Evans, Jill Lape, Keith Soles, and Amber Webb, Port Vue Mayor Brien Hranics; and Port Vue Council members Ken Hresko, Mark Tortorice, Bob Betters, and Doug Jenecko.
Division I will also include the LaRosa Youth Club, American Legion Post 527 and the McKeesport Partnership for HIV Prevention, Salute to Santa Queen candidates Ryenn Thomas (NAACP), Rakihya Freeman (MAHS Cheer), Marissa Alberts (MAHS Color Guard), and Brooklyn Donelson (MAHS Marching Band); Salute to Santa Princess candidates Skylar Crenshaw (McKeesport Area Shared Ministries), Summer Ura (McKeesport Lions Club), Taytum Jones (McKeesport Little Theater), and Zoey Carr (LaRosa Youth Club); McKeesport Area High School Cheerleaders, McKeesport Area High School Color Guard and Marching Band.
DIVISION II
Division II parade participants are: Kasyan Cycles, Striffler Family Funeral Homes, 3 Rivers Model A Club, Another Shoulder LLC, McKeesport fifthgrade basketball with special guest Khaleke Hudson, Penn State Greater Allegheny, Mary of Nazareth Catholic School, Broadway Pizza, NAACP McKeesport Unit 2269, McKeesport Lions Club, Young Scholars of Greater Allegheny Charter School, Build N Block, Mentoring Village, Stacy’s Dog Watch and No Animal Left Behind, McKeesport Area Shared Ministry, McKeesport Little Tigers cheerleaders and football, Nuttall Public Safety featuring the Public Safety Hound, the Grinch, and Bumble, McKeesport Family Center featuring Bluey, McKeesport Little Theater presents “Shrek Jr.”, Carnegie Library of McKeesport, Pittsburgh Dream Center, McKeesport Area High School Amp’d Robotics Team and its Red and Blue student newspaper staff.
DIVISION III
Division III parade participants are: McKeesport Housing Authority, Garden Club of McKeesport, Mission Agape, McKeesport Regional History & Heritage Center, Tube City Community Media, Pennsylvania American Water, RPM Autoworx, AMVETS Post 8, Salvation Army, C&D Towing, Allegheny CleanWays, McKeesport Recreation
Board, Big’s Sanitation/Earthwise, DIVISION IV, Mission Specific Clothing and Flashover Fire Apparatus, area ambu – lances, area police cars, area fire trucks, and last ,but not least, Santa Claus will be escorted on a McKeesport ladder truck.
