The young and young at heart are in for a treat as the 78th annual Mummers Parade takes to the streets of South Williamsport on Saturday, Oct. 18.

This year marks the debut of Lisa Angelo as the event’s coordinator.

Angelo’s family has a long history with the Mummer’s Parade, with Angelo herself once serving as treasurer many years ago.

“My mom was involved way back in the day, and when she passed away, I had my thoughts of, ‘hmm, should I get back in there,'” she said.

“I really want to help out again, because I used to help her judge and I would drive a division car and things. My aunt and my cousin are lifetime members because they’ve been involved for many, many years,” Angelo said.

With her return to the fold, Angelo brought several former aspects of the parade along with her.

“This year, we’re bringing back the judge’s stand with an announcer and actual judges, which will be the committee members. There will be trophies and awards,” she said.

The judge’s stand this year will be set up at the Buttery Biscuit.

“Every entry is emailing me what they want the announcer to say, so as they come by the judge’s stand, I’m going to have a binder for the announcer to read the script of every entry,” Angelo explained.

“We also brought back the program, and made it a little bigger, because we sold a bunch of ads. That’s where we get a lot of our money from, and from donations,” Angelo said.

Though there was some concern that the parade might have to be rerouted due to ongoing roadwork, Angelo said the parade will follow its familiar path.

“We were hoping the street would be ready, and it’s ready,” she said.

“A lot of people have yearly gatherings, and family and friends come in from afar to watch the parade, and people look forward to that, so, we’re excited that it’s not changing,” Angelo said.

Attendees should park on side streets, Angelo advised.

“It’s kind of first come, first serve. There’s really no design. You just come early and find a spot on a side street,” she said, adding that she tries to keep the Messiah Lutheran Church parking lot open for the bands and other entries.

Businesses in the CVS plaza will be open for business during the parade, so Angelo asks that attendees not park there, in order for their customers to have parking space.

This year’s parade will feature 10 divisions, made up of over 70 entries, including fire trucks, dance troops, a baton twirling unit and several South Williamsport businesses.

Included in the line-up will be four high school bands from as far away as Lewisburg and Williamson High School in Tioga County.

“We also have The Nittany Highland Pipe Band. They come every year from the State College area, and they’re really good,” Angelo said.

“That’s probably our biggest attraction, other than local floats and local businesses,” she said.

Angelo said she has brought an old school approach to her efforts.

“Last week, I called every single entry that’s in the parade, and let them know what division they were in, what time to be here, and where to line up. It’s relaxing, and it doesn’t take that much time. I’ve enjoyed it,” she said.

Although there was a fixed deadline for entries to be included in the program due to needing time for it to be printed, Angelo said that she is accepting entries straight up until the day before the parade.

“There’s no deadline to be in it. There’s just a deadline to be in the program,” she said.

The teamwork of the new committee, made up of nine past and current members, has made the transition to new leadership a smooth one, Angelo said.

“We’ve been meeting since January, and every meeting, they’re like, ‘wow, we’re so far ahead. We’ve never been this far ahead. It’s great to feel like a team, because we all delegate, and we all help each other out with different things, because there’s so much involved in it, from permitting, to all the things, and everybody has their own role, yet we all talk and work together,” she said.

And there’s always room on the team for anyone interested in keeping the tradition going.

While there is a set number of committee members, everyone is welcomed at their meetings.

“You have to attend so many meetings, and then you’re a member. The meetings are always open. We have an agenda. You have your time to speak. And we meet on the second Thursday of each month, starting in January,” Angelo said, adding that the only month they don’t meet is in December.

“We’re always looking for people to help. The more minds, the better, in my opinion,” she added.

And while there was already plenty to be excited for, Angelo revealed this year’s lineup will feature a special guest, none other than Santa Claus himself.

“That’s a pretty big thing for us this year,” she said.

“Santa called us from the North Pole, and he wanted to be involved, so he’ll be the very last entry in division 10,” Angelo said, adding that the big guy himself will be escorted in by fire department vehicles.

The parade steps off along Central Avenue at 2 p.m.

Anyone wishing to participate or learn more about the parade are encouraged to visit www.swmummersparade.com.