Penn Hills Memorial Day parade features shorter route but big fun

Dillon Carr
Thursday, May 30, 2019 10:46 a.m. | Thursday, May 30, 2019 10:46 a.m.

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Lillian DeDomenic | For the Tribune-Review

Penn Hills senior Kristen Shrantz performs with the Penn Hills High School marching band in the 2019 Memorial Day parade.

Lillian DeDomenic | For the Tribune-Review

The American flag is raised to full staff in the Penn Hills municipal plaza on Memorial Day, Monday, May 27.

Lillian DeDomenic | For the Tribune-Review

The cast of the spring musical, “The Addams Family,” performed numbers from the show on a decorated float in the Penn Hills Memorial Day parade.

Lillian DeDomenic | For the Tribune-Review

Edward Levy, 7, waits along the parade route for the fire trucks to come by.

Lillian DeDomenic | For the Tribune-Review

There was no shortage of excitement as residents of all ages lined the street on both sides to watch the Penn Hills Memorial Day parade units march down Duff Road and pass the reviewing stand.

The annual Memorial Day parade in Penn Hills went off without a hitch as hundreds gathered to watch the spectacle featuring a new route this year, the event’s organizer said.

“With a shorter route, it seemed like we had more people out than years past with the longer route,” said John Scaglione, parks director and parade organizer.

The route was cut by about a third of a mile this year because the administration moved to a new building on Duff Road. The former administrative building on Frankstown Road, where the parade previously ended, has been vacant and for sale since last summer.

The parade kicked off at St. Bartholomew Catholic Parish on May 27 with the ceremony at the municipal center following.

Scaglione said, logistically, the parade was much easier to organize because Duff Road is a municipal-owned road. The government center is at 102 Duff Road.

Scaglione said up to 800 people marched in the parade, with 38 groups participating. Judges chose their three favorite participants, which included floats made by Mt. Hope Church, Penn Hills Anti-Litter Group and the Penn Hills High School musical.

“Next year, we might add some bounce houses and food trucks to draw more people toward the government center prior to the event,” Scaglione said.