BAY CITY, MI - As the novel coronavirus continues to spread in the United States and two cases are confirmed in Michigan, those organizing the Bay City St. Patrick’s Day Parade are weighing whether or not to proceed with the Sunday, March 15, event.

Bay City Mayor Kathleen Newsham, a member of the parade’s executive board, said the board is meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday to discuss the status of the parade. Two members are in favor of cancelling the parade now out of caution, but it’s a group decision, she said.

The parade organizers are awaiting a planned press conference by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer sometime Wednesday for more information on Michigan’s cases, Newsham said.

“At this point, we’re going to wait and see what the message is coming out of her office,” Newsham said. “If something changes, we’ll get that information out quickly.”

If the parade is given the green light to continue, the 66th annual event in Bay City will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday along Center Avenue.

In efforts to curb the COVID-19 outbreak, cities such as Chicago and Boston have cancelled similar St. Patrick’s Day parade events. There were no confirmed cases in Michigan before Tuesday evening, when Whitmer announced two in Oakland and Wayne counties.

“We’re very mindful of keeping everyone safe," Newsham said. “People come from all over, not just Bay City, to watch the parade."

The first St. Patrick’s Day Parade was hosted on March 17, 1955 on a weekday with a route that spanned from Center to Monroe, ending at City Hall. According to the St. Patrick’s Day Parade Association, 10,000 people attended the first Bay City parade and 40 different organizations and groups marched in it.

The parade has since grown in the past 66 years into a widely attended event from visitors across the state. The parade itself has also grown larger, with over 120 entries are currently registered for the 2020 parade.

In 2016, MLive/The Bay City Times reported an average parade attendance of at least 40,000 people. The number of attendees has been reported to have ballooned to more than 100,000 when the event is graced with warm weather, likely making it Michigan’s largest St. Patrick’s Day parade.

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