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St. Patrick's Day Parade
In St. Louis, the Irish have two parades. The downtown one will be held Saturday, March 15. The Dogtown parade is always held on St. Patrick’s Day, which this year is Monday, March 17, and it starts at 12:30 p.m.
On March 15, the streets of downtown St. Louis will become a sea of green as thousands of visitors attend the 39th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The event will feature more than 120 marching bands, floats and giant balloons. The parade begins at noon at 18th and Market Streets and makes its way east to Broadway and Market. Before or after the parade, stop by the Irish Village in Kiener Plaza for food, shopping and live music.
The Ancient Order of Hibernians will hold their 25th annual Saint Patrick’s Day Parade on Monday, March 17, in Dogtown at 12:30 pm. The parade will start south of the Tamm Avenue Overpass at Oakland Ave.
The parade travels south on Tamm Avenue, past historic St. James the Greater Catholic Church, and ends at Manchester Avenue. The route passes through one of St. Louis’ oldest Irish neighborhoods.
Parade organizers say that this year’s event will have 114 colorful floats and marching units. Held annually on the Saint Patrick’s feast day, the event honors Irish heritage, culture and faith. A number of St. Louis Irish will be marching as clans under their family crests and banners. The St. Louis City and County Boards of the Ancient Order of Hibernians sponsor the parade. The parade, which began in 1984, was created to highlight the many contributions of the Irish people to America.
In addition to the one day of fun and business activity, the parade has other benefits for the neighborhood as well. “I’ve been told by real estate agents in the Dogtown area that the parade helps maintain the neighborhood’s Irish heritage and property values and makes it attractive for new residents,” said David Gallagher, a member of the parade committee.
The Grand Marshall of the 2008 Hibernian Parade is Jim Mohan, one of the founders of the parade.
In the interest of public safety and to restrict underage drinking, alcohol can not be brought into the parade site. Coolers will be allowed to bring soft drinks and non-alcoholic beverages. However, there will be a variety of food and beer booths lining the route. Police officials will ticket illegally parked vehicles and also will be checking for underage drinking in the Clayton-Tamm area.
St. James the Greater is once again having its popular corned beef and cabbage dinner at the parish school, 1360 Tamm Ave., from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Dinners are $7 for adults, $5 for children and $4 for a sandwich. The church will also have a beer and food booth outdoors on the parade route.
There will be entertainment in the school gym from noon to 8 p.m., including Irish Aires, Clarkson School of Irish Dance, Mayer School of Irish Dance and John McCarthy.
The first Hibernians parade was held in 1984, in Clayton. Since Clayton did not allow parades on weekdays, the event moved to Hazelwood in 1985, where more than 6,000 people attended. For the third parade in 1986, Dogtown was chosen, and it has stayed there since. The parade, which highlights the neighborhood’s Irish heritage, has grown each year, attracting up to 200,000 people, organizers say.
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