St Patrick's Day Events St. Paul Minneapolis
March 17th an official holiday is a semi-official holiday in Minnesota! Growing up as a Irish-woman in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area made St. Patrick's Day a fun event. (Okay...I'm only a quarter Irish but on St. Pat's day, whose counting?) From time to time our family attended the parade on the east side of the river in downtown St Paul. One time we even jumped into the parade and strolled down the street under the “Flaherty”banner.
There were meals of home cooked corned beef and cabbage, though I much prefer a Shamrock Shake. We didn’t dance, but sang the “When Irish Eyes are Smiling” almost throughout the month of March. It was my Prussian grandmother's favorite song after all! It is always fun to celebrate our heritage.
With the unofficial holiday falling on a Saturday this year, the parades are certain to draw a crowd. There are two different Irish Associations with an array of St. Pat's events in the Twin Cities. The St. Patrick’s Association in St. Paul has a worst Irish Tenor Contest and annually crowns a Miss Shamrock and cast of Blarney Brothers to accompany the Shamrock princesses to events. This association puts senior citizens at the heart of their events with visits to area nursing homes and senior centers during March. And of course, there is a parade. The St. Paul St. Patrick's Day parade runs along Fifth Street starting at noon.
Not to be outdone, the St. Patrick’s Day Association of Minneapolis has a full array of contests and events to mark this special day. In addition to the 6:30 evening parade down Nicollet Mall, there is a Ms. Blarney and Wee Leprechan Contest. Yep, the cutest Irish lad or lass wins a Wii. How’s that for a fun homonym tie-in?
Can't make it to the parades? Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day online with some fun and interesting Irish websites:
May you have all the happiness
and luck that life can hold—
And at the end of all your rainbows
may you find a pot of gold.
Traditional Irish Toast
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