St. Patrick’s Day to be largely virtual in NYC for 2nd year

NEW YORK (AP) — A largely virtual St. Patrick’s Day is planned for New York City on Wednesday, one year after the annual parade celebrating Irish heritage became one of the city’s first coronavirus casualties. The large parade with floats and marching bands has been canceled, but Mayor Bill de Blasio joined parade leaders and several dozen National Guard troops in marching up Madison Avenue early Wednesday morning to keep the tradition alive. A live broadcast of the St. Patrick’s Day Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral took place. And a virtual parade featuring clips of marching groups from past years was to follow at 10 a.m.