Jaffrey’s ParkTV will host a two-hour broadcast of a virtual Jaffrey St. Patrick’s Day Parade from noon to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, March 17 via Facebook Live and YouTube Live.
Those who can’t watch the broadcast live can watch a recorded video of the broadcast via Facebook and YouTube on the same day.
The Park Theatre has been involved with the Jaffrey St. Patrick’s Day Parade since the parade debuted in 2018. The theatre broadcast the 2019 parade live. Due to COVID-19, the 2020 parade and now the 2021 parade had to be canceled. This year, The Park Theatre will assemble many of the parade’s past participants to join this virtual tribute to the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. There will be clips from past parades, other new performances on film, plus many live interviews. Surprise guests will appear and the public is invited to join in and wish everyone an “Erin Go Bragh” or “Sláinte” in honor of St. Patty’s Day.
Scheduled guests on the program include Parade Grand Marshall, Jimmy Quinn, Terri Wiltse, Executive Director of NHSCOT Pipes & Drums Band, and Kevin Hampsey, founder of the Jaffrey St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
Owen Houghton (past host of the parade broadcast), Kelly Bergeron (a founding organizer of the Jaffrey parade) and Steve Jackson (CEO, Managing Director of the Park Theatre) will be the co-hosts for the live-streamed program.
“Sadly, we can’t produce the actual parade down Main Street this year, but this broadcast being produced by The Park Theatre will give everyone a great St. Patrick’s Day Parade vibe. It will a fun, very entertaining program where the public can interact with the broadcast,” Hampsey said.
The Park Theatre will be running two fundraising events for the nonprofit theatre in conjunction with the St. Patrick’s Day broadcast. There will be an online 50/50 ticket raffle with 50 percent of the proceeds raised going to one single winner. And, there’s a “Green Jelly Bean Challenge,” where participants purchase a chance to guess the number of green jelly beans in the glass jar situated in the theater’s 19 Main St. window in Jaffrey. The closest number wins fabulous prizes.
To get the links for the live broadcast, go to jaffreystpatsparade.com or theparktheatre.org. Questions about the broadcast can by made by calling The Park Theatre at 532-8888 or emailing parktv@theparktheatre.org. Questions about the parade and sponsorships for the 2022 edition can be made by calling Hampsey at 801-6100.