Founded in 1857 by Irish settlers drawn to the area by the railroad industry, Tyrone, Pennsylvania, is a town deeply rooted in its Irish heritage, and for over twenty years, Tyrone has hosted an annual celebration of that heritage.
This year’s Irish Heritage Festival runs from Wednesday, March 12, through Sunday, March 16, and features food, fun, music, and activities for the entire community.
The festivities will begin in the Tyrone Colonial Courtyard with a traditional Irish toast at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 12th.
There is also a presale on tickets for the cookie crawl- limited to 200 tickets- which will be held from 3 to 6 p.m. March 12th at the The Brew Coffee and Tap.
A traditional Irish dinner will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 13th, at The Church of the Good Shepherd, located at 1650 Clay Avenue.
On Friday, March 14th, a musical show will start at 11 a.m. at the Northern Blair Senior Center with an Irish cookie crawl planned from 5 to 7:30 p.m.; and the “lighting of the shamrock” which will take place at 6 p.m.
A family funfest, featuring an Irish storytime, will take place at the Tyrone-Snyder Public Library from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, March 14th.
The Altoona Brass Collective will perform from 6:15 to 6:45 p.m. at the Hotel City Park, followed by an Irish-themed fireworks show at 8 p.m.
The Brew and Tap will serve green beer and Irish coffee all day Saturday, March 15th, as part of the festivities.
Other activities on Saturday will include a cupcake-decorating contest at Bake Shop Bakes, street vendors from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m, and a dog fashion show that will take place at 10 a.m.
Applications for the dog fashion show are now available at the chamber office.
The Tyrone Race Series’ Gold Rush 5k/10k race will take place at 8 a.m. near the Tyrone Armory, located at 956 Logan Avenue. A kid’s gold sprint, a 50-100 meter dash, is scheduled for 9:30 with a closing ceremony and awards presentation at 10 am.
Early Registration for both races ended on February 28th, but day-of registration will be available between 6:30 and 7:40 a.m., with a limited number of t-shirts available.
This year’s sponsor of the Gold Rush race is the Purrfect Paws and Pals of Tyrone nonprofit group.
Also, on Saturday, at the Hotel City Park, the Horseshoe Cloggers will perform at 11 a.m., followed by a Celtic-rock band Full Kilt and balloon Artist Bob Smith, from 12 to 2 p.m.
The Luck of the Irish parade will start at 2 p.m. Saturday on Lincoln Avenue and proceed through town, ending at the Tyrone Armory.
The festivities will wind down Sunday evening with an Irish worship service set for 7 p.m. at the Church of the Good Shepherd.
