People know what to expect on Scranton Parade Day: bagpipers, a sea of green revelers and a day of bar tours and toasts.
But visitors are going to find a different landscape when they hit the streets Saturday. They may find the doors locked and lights down at two landmark downtown Scranton establishments - the Banshee Irish Pub and Farley's Eatery & Pub, which both closed last year.
While the entities have applied for temporary liquor licenses to serve alcohol at the buildings, state Liquor Control Board officials said they are still reviewing the requests. And even if one or both pubs open to sling beers, they won't be the same.
To Sean Wolf of Clarks Summit, Parade Day minus the Banshee and Farley's is just about unimaginable.
The venues were Parade Day landmarks, providing a meeting point for those who hadn't seen each other in the past year. They were traditions and traditional - capturing the flavor of authentic Irish pubs.
"Other venues try to do St. Patrick's Day, but few pull it off the way the Banshee and Farley's" did, he said. "Not all bars have the benefit of the tradition and emotional attachment they had."
The Banshee's closure followed the earlier shuttering of Whistles Pub and Eatery on Franklin Avenue. The results, Mr. Wolf said, will shift Parade Day activity to Courthouse Square and the much larger Mulligan's Sports & Spirits and Backyard Ale House, and supporting venues such as Irish Wolf Pub, the Bog and Osaka, along with the southeastern downtown anchors - the Radisson at Lackawanna Station hotel and Kildare's Irish Pub.
That shift is OK with Ron Kamionka, owner of Mulligan's Sports & Spirits, the reboot of what had been the Hardware Bar and, before that, Tink's. The 34,000-square-foot, four-level venue was remodeled as Mulligan's in October, and Mr. Kamionka looks forward to introducing it.
At Linden Street and Adams Avenue, Farley's had been a first stop for many on Parade Day, Mr. Kamionka said. He hopes that Mulligan's will become the Parade Day gateway and is planning a first-drink ceremony after the 9 a.m. opening.
"On Parade Day, people get to come and experience the Scranton scene on a massive scale," he said. "With other places having been closed, there's a chance at getting a bigger piece of the pie."
The University of Scranton has picked the weekend as a homecoming of sorts, hosting a Shamrocking Eve on Friday for the five most recent graduating classes.
John Gownley, a 2006 University of Scranton graduate, said Farley's is near and dear to alumni of the 1980s.
"Banshee and Farley's were unique because they drew a mixed audience as traditional Irish bars that spoke to the truth and meaning of what we are supposed to be celebrating," he said. "It will be a loss."
He thinks his peers, now in their late 20s, will gravitate to more adult, family-oriented venues such as the Scranton Cultural Center party or to neighborhood bars.
Contact the writer: dfalchek@timesshamrock.com