ERIE, PA. – May 17, 2013 – The Perry 200 Commemoration will celebrate the 200th Anniversary of Oliver Hazard Perry’s victory in the Battle of Lake Erie with a Grand Patriotic Parade on Saturday, May 25, 2013 at 1:00 PM. As a preview of the Parade, a media event will be held the night before on Friday, May 24 at the Cathedral Prep Event Center – located at 501 West 12th Street, Erie, PA, 16501 – at 6:30 PM. This event, which will include rehearsal by the Erie Thunderbirds, floats that will be featured in the Parade, and partial inflation of one of the large helium balloons provided by StarBound Entertainment, is open to the media.
The Parade route starts on 12th and Cherry, will go east on 12th Street to State Street, and then north on State Street to 4th Street. Included in the Parade are 25 marching bands, including the Preston Scout House Alumni Band, the Toronto Signals, and Mighty St. Joe’s Alumni Corps, one of Philadelphia’s award-winning Mummer’s String Bands, as well as the 10-time World Champion Junior Corps – the Cadets. In addition, 50 floats created by Erie’s non-profits, re-enactment groups, military units, and, for the first time since 1995, giant, helium filled balloons, will be on display in the Parade!
Most importantly, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett will be the Parade’s Grand Marshal, and will be joined in the Parade by Erie Mayor Joe Sinnott, County Executive Barry Grossman, U.S. Senator Robert Casey, Jr., State Senator Sean Wiley, State Treasurer Rob McCord, Congressmen Mike Kelly and Glenn Thompson, State Representatives Pat Harkins, Flo Fabrizio, Ryan Bizzarro, Curt Sonney, and Greg Lucas, Erie City Council, Erie County Council, District Attorney Jack Daneri, Miss Pennsylvania Jordyn Colao, and Former Erie Mayor and Perry 200 Co-Chair Joyce Savocchio.
Perry Square will feature opening ceremonies with the Erie Thunderbirds at 1:20 p.m., and a concert after the Parade, featuring five of the visiting drum & bugle corps. CATV Channel 2 will have a live broadcast from Perry Square, and WSEE and WICU will do a live stream on their website at www.erietvnews.com/.
The Erie Parking Authority will provide free downtown parking for the Perry 200 Parade. The free parking areas include street meters, metered lots and four parking garages located at East 8th and French, East 10th and French, West 7th and Peach and West 9th between Peach and Sassafras. Both UPMC Hamot garages and the metered lot across the street from the hospital emergency room entrance will be available to patrons and hospital visitors only.
For more information on this Grand Patriotic Parade, or other Perry 200 Commemoration events, please visit www.Perry200.com, e-mail info@perry200.com, or call the Jefferson Educational Society at 814-459-8000.
