Grand Marshal John Muldowney walks in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Saranac Lake, flanked by his grandchildren Scottie Nicholas and Ella Muldowney in 2019. (Enterprise photo — Jesse Adcock)

SARANAC LAKE — Though the New York City and Boston St. Patrick’s Day parades have been canceled, there’s no need to worry about the Saranac Lake celebration Saturday.

The parade kicks off from the St. Bernard’s Church parking lot at 1 p.m. It follows a 0.3-mile route down Church Street and left onto Main Street past the Hotel Saranac to the Harrietstown Town Hall. It will feature Irish step dancers, bagpipers and plenty of clans. A reception in the town hall auditorium will follow.

Parade assembly begins at 12 p.m. Repurposed Winter Carnival floats are more than welcome as are business groups and organizations.

Earlier in the day, the Blue Moon Cafe will serve a traditional Irish breakfast, beginning at 8 a.m.

This is the second year the Saranac Lake Irish Gaelic Organization (SLIGO, like the town in Ireland) will organize the parade.

“I think that the fact we were able to form the group in the early part of the year (2019) and take over the running of the parade within a month of our existence, successfully run the parade and then make it through the first year was a pretty good accomplishment,” said SLIGO member John Muldowney.

Muldowney said SLIGO’s goals are not limited to organizing the parade. He said the group would like to move forward with special events and charity fundraisers, but those efforts are still a work-in-progress.

Tonight at 6 p.m., SLIGO, the Hotel Saranac and the Irish American Heritage Museum of Albany will host a reception for the “Women of the 1916 Rising in Ireland” exhibit in the hotel’s Great Hall. Admission is free.

“The 1916 Rising set the stage for ultimately the Irish revolution that lead to the independent Republic of Ireland, which happened in 1921,” Muldowney said. “It’s a big event in Irish history, and like many historical events, women don’t get the credit they deserve for their roles.”

The exhibit goes hand-in-hand with the parade’s first female grand marshal Pat Finn.

“She’s a member of the Finn clan, which has always been the largest clan in the parade,” Muldowney said. “There are people who have sworn to overtake them as the largest clan, and no one has come close. The Finns had 30 last year, and it would not surprise me if they exceeded that this year.”

Some of the other clans include the Muldowneys, the Morgans and the Scollins. There’s also the “O’Ramblers,” which is made up those lacking any other clan affiliation. Don’t be afraid to jump behind this banner if you want to join in on the parade.