The 38th annual York Saint Patrick's Day Parade will be held on Saturday, March 16, at 1 p.m. The parade will begin at West Market and Penn streets and proceed east on Market Street to Duke Street.

Before the parade, Irish dancers will perform at various locations. From 11 a.m. to noon, Ni Rian School of Irish Dance will perform at Central Market, 34 W. Philadelphia St. From 11:30 a.m. to noon, OH! Gills Irish Dance Team will be represented at Martin Library, 159 E. Market St., and Miss Teen Pennsylvania Lizzie Shacklett will perform at the Yorktowne Hotel, 48 E. Market St. From noon to 12:30 p.m., students from Doherty Petri School of Irish Dance will be present at Penn Market, 380 W. Market St.

The parade will be led by this year's grand marshal, Kelley Gibson, president of the Cultural Alliance of York County. The title grand marshal is bestowed upon people who have distinguished themselves as loyal to their career, family and community.

Gibson was born in New Jersey to Frank and Terry Fay, who gave her the male Gaelic name Kelley, meaning warrior. Kelley's great-grandparents had been immigrants from Galway, Longford and Cork in Ireland.

Kelley earned her Bachelor of Arts at York College of Pennsylvania and then married a York County resident, Joel, in 1999; she has called York home ever since. Kelley and Joel volunteered for their first York Saint Patrick's Day parade in 2000 and have held various volunteer positions over the past 23 years, including walking down the lead banner, collecting signs, and running the bucket brigade. Their children Ray and Frank also helped at the parade each year, first riding in a wagon behind the lead banner, then carrying their own buckets in the brigade once they could walk.

Today Kelley leads the Cultural Alliance of York County, a United Arts Fund that raises and re-grants operating support for arts and culture organizations and artists. In addition to her volunteer work with the York Saint Patrick's Day Parade and other community-wide events, Kelley is board chair of the Citizens for the Arts statewide arts advocacy network, serves on the board of the Rotary Club of York, is a member of the Women's Giving Circle, and is a member of the marketing committee of the Farm and Natural Lands Trust. Kelley was a recipient of Downtown First Volunteer of the Year awards in 2003 and 2009, a Susquehanna Style Women of Influence honoree in 2018, a York Federal Fellow in 2020, and one of York College's Outstanding Alumni recognized in the Year of 50 Spartans.

The parade is organized by the York Saint Patrick's Day Parade Committee, a volunteer-led, 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. In addition to corporate sponsorships, a variety of activities are held throughout the year to raise the funds necessary to present this family-friendly event.

More information about the parade is available at http://www.yorksaintpatricksdayparade.org.