The 30th annual Guinness Syracuse St. Patrick’s Day Parade steps off at noon Saturday, March 17, on South Salina Street in downtown Syracuse. This year’s theme is: “Irish roots in Ireland, Irish spirits in Syracuse.”

The 2012 grand marshals are Judge Charles Major and Onondaga County Elections Commissioner Ed Ryan.

Newswoman Nancy Duffy founded the parade in 1982.

“Since the parade’s inception, we have been able to help support Project Children, founded by another outstanding woman, Kathleen Kelly,” noted parade president Janet Higgins. “In 2005, we began the St. Patrick Hunger Project to help feed those in need in Central New York. Due to the success of the St. Patrick Hunger Project, the food pantries in our area have been well supplied with food.” For info, visit syracusestpatricksparade.org.

Ice Hockey: Crunch play two

It has been another depressing season, the fourth in a row in which the Syracuse Crunch have failed to make the playoffs, but the team forges ahead with its 2011-12 American Hockey League season with two home games this weekend at the Onondaga County War Memorial.

Coach Trent Yawney’s Syracuse skaters face off against Thruway rivals the Rochester Americans at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 16. They’ll do it again at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 17, against the Adirondack Phantoms.

The Crunch is affiliated with the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks, while Rochester is the top farm club of the Buffalo Sabres and the Phantoms are affiliated with the Philadelphia Flyers. The War Memorial is downtown at State and Harrison streets. Ticket prices for home games range from $14 to $21; 473-4444.

Linebacker tackles cancer

New York Giants Super Bowl XLVI Champion, and cancer survivor, Mark Herzlich Jr. will be a special guest at the New Era Cap Crunch vs. Cancer Game at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 17, vs. Adirondack.

Prior to his senior year at Boston College, Herzlich was a first-team All-American but he sat out that season after being diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. Defying the doctor’s prognosis, Herzlich returned to football and started all 13 games at Boston College during the 2010-11 season before signing with the New York Giants in July 2011. Herzlich played in 11 games last season.

A number of charity initiatives, including raffling signed Herzlich Crunch jerseys and footballs, are planned to benefit Upstate Cancer Center. Fans will meet Herzlich in Memorial Hall during the first intermission; syracusecrunch.com.

Literati: Yiddish fiction, klezmer tunes

Ken Frieden, the former director of the Judaic Studies Program at Syracuse University, will read Yiddish fiction accompanied by klezmer music at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 18, at the DeWitt Library, 3649 Erie Blvd. East.

Frieden has published numerous books and essays on Yiddish and Hebrew literature. His acclaimed study “Classic Yiddish Fiction” is the companion volume to the anthology “Classic Yiddish Stories,” from which he will read on Sunday.

An accomplished clarinetist, Frieden will be joined Sunday by keyboardist/composer Jonathan Dinkin and vocalist Aveeya Dinkin.

Admission is free; 446-3578; dewlib.org.

Guitarist Phil Petroff and the Natural Fact guitar duo. 9:30 PM. Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, 246 W. Willow St., downtown. Admission is free.

Music: Petroff picks at Dino

Guitarist Phil Petroff and the Natural Fact will play at 10 p.m. Saturday, March 17, at downtown’s Dinosaur Bar-B-Que. Petroff previously played guitar for The Nighthawks, one of America’s best-known blues-rock touring outfits.

Two-Hour Delay performs at the Bar-B-Que at 9:30 p.m. Thursday, March 15, followed by South Bay making its Dino debut at 10 p.m. Friday, March 16.

The Dinosaur Bar-B-Que is at 246 W. Willow St., at the corner of North Franklin Street. Admission is free and the food is Dixie-fried; 476-4937.

Van Norstrands Sunday

Andrew and Noah Van Norstrand perform a free concert at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 18, as part of Liverpool Public Library’s Fifth Annual Folk Music Series — The Youth Movement.

Hailing from Fulton, the Van Norstrands began playing folk music long before their 10th birthdays. At the age of 8, Andrew took lessons from local old-time/country fiddler Norma “Granny” Sweet who encouraged him to learn by ear in the tradition of old-time Upstate New York fiddlers. Before long, the brothers were playing guitar, fiddle and mandolin in The Great Bear Trio along with their mother, pianist Kim Yerton. The trio has remained a contra-dance favorite for the past decade. Their new album, “Rawr!” features rocking, emotional, dynamic dance music.

In 2007, the brothers released “A Certain Tree” which, although consisting of entirely original music, represented a return to their Appalachian and bluegrass roots.

Liverpool Public Library is located at 310 Tulip St., at the corner of Second Street (Route 370), in Liverpool. Admission is free; lpl.org; 457-0310.

Andrew and Noah Van Norstrand play a free concert Sunday in Liverpool.

GWAR rocks Westcott

The theatrical hard rock band GWAR performs Thursday, March 22, at the Westcott Theater, 524 Westcott St., on Syracuse’s East Side. Three other bands — Municipal Waste, Ghoul and Legacy of Doubt — will open the show at 8 p.m.

Formed in Richmond in 1984, GWAR is well known for their elaborate science fiction/horror film-inspired costumes and their graphic stage performances, which feature humorous enactments of politically and morally taboo themes.

Admission costs $25; 424-4973; thewestcotttheater.com.

Horrace plus chorus

The Bill Horrace Trio performs at two different venues on East Genesee Street during March and April. The swinging threesome will accompany a half dozen vocalists from the Syracuse University Drama Department at Phoebe’s Restaurant, 900 E. Genesee St., and at Syracuse Stage, 820 E. Genesee St.

Bassist/bandleader Bill Horrace is a professor of economics at SU’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. His band members are pianist Dave Solazzo on piano and guitarist Tom Bronzetti; billhorrace.com.

Performances are scheduled at Phoebe’s Restaurant at 8 p.m. on Thursdays, March 22 and 29, and April 19 and 26; phoebessyracuse.com.

Performances at Syracuse Stage will be at 6:30 p.m. March 22 prior to performances of “Red,” and April 19 and 25 prior to performances of “The Brothers Size;” SyracuseStage.org.

The singing students — Elizabeth Boyke, Sarah Cassell, Alliy Drago, Chloe Rodabaugh, Sarah Talbot and Joanne Wilkens — perform jazz standards under the tutelage of vocal instructor Rebecca Karpoff.

Admission is free at both venues.

Stage: Kramer comedy closing

Jeff Kramer’s new full-length comedy, “Reaching for Marsby” starring Mark Eischen as an untalented actor, runs at 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, March 15-17, and closes at 4 p.m. Sunday, March 18, at the BeVard Studio at the Mulroy Civic Center, 411 Montgomery St., downtown.

Film: Cinefest screens this weekend

Cinefest 32, screening more than five dozen vintage films, runs from Thursday, March 15, through Sunday, March 18, at the Holiday Inn on Electronics Parkway, in Liverpool.

On Saturday, March 17, 35mm films will be shown at Eastwood’s Palace Theater. The features include “Once in a Lifetime” (1933) with Jack Oakie, “Get Your Man” (1927) with Clara Bow and “Mr. Fix-It” (1918) starring Douglas Fairbanks. Separate admission to the 35mm program costs $25 and includes transportation from the hotel to the Palace and back to the hotel.

The memorabilia dealers’ rooms will open to the public from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. Posters, photographs, DVDs, films and books will be on sale. Admission to the dealers’ rooms on Saturday costs $5, and that sum will be applied toward any purchase.

Registration for all four days of Cinefest costs $85, or $30 per day. Screenings begin at 9 a.m. on March 15 and run through 5 p.m. March 18.

For information, visit syracusecinefest.com or the Cinefest fan page on Facebook.