OLD ORCHARD BEACH — Saturday is set to be fun and festive in Old Orchard Beach with the Kora Shriners parade and Corvette show on the schedule.

The Kora Shriners parade is set to begin at 10 a.m. at The Ballpark, and the parade route will follow Saco Avenue to Heath Street, ending at Veterans Memorial Park.

The theme of the parade is Hometown Heroes, honoring first responders.

“Our first responders put their lives on the line each day to keep our communities safe,” said Potentate Rick Hersom. “This event is to thank our hometown heroes for their bravery and selflessness.”

The parade is expected to be about an hour long, with 30 or more units, said Hersom. Leading the parade will be area first responders, followed by bag pipers, clowns and units of tiny Shriner cars.

There will be some new units at the parade, including the Kora Drifters, driving low to the ground, motorized tricycles.

“We’re looking to have a lot of fun,” said Hersom.

Members of the community are encouraged to come out and watch the event on Saturday, said Units Colonel Bernie McAllister

“It’s going to be a great parade,” he said.

The Shriners parade is part of the summer ceremonial, an annual gathering of Kora Shriners from all over southern and central Maine, held at a different location each year. This year, the Summer Ceremonial, in its 19th year, is being held at Bayley’s Camping Resort in Scarborough.

After the parade, the Shriners are hosting a meal for the first responders at the campground.

“It’s our way of saying thank you (to the first responders) and lunch is on us,” said McAllister.

The Kora Shriners are part of Shriners International, which is described on its website as “a fraternity based on fun, fellowship and the Masonic principles of brotherly love, relief and truth” with nearly 200 chapters in several countries and several thousand clubs around the world. Shriners support Shriners Hospitals for Children, which provide services for children with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate.

Also happening this weekend is the Back to the Beach Corvette show, sponsored by local community group OOB365. At 9:45 a.m. on Saturday, a caravan of Corvettes will travel from the Clambake Restaurant in Scarborough to downtown Old Orchard Beach and will be on display on Old Orchard Street from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Saco Avenue will be closed from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, and Old Orchard Street will be closed from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., according to police. Surrounding streets are expected to have some traffic delays during this time.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be reached at 780-9015 or by email at egotthelf@journaltribune.com.