IRISH EYES WILL SOON BE SMILING
The Greater New Haven St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee is in full swing as the members of this all-volunteer committee count down the days until March 10. On that day, Connecticut’s largest single- day spectator event, the St. Patrick’s Day Parade will step off at 1:30 pm in downtown New Haven. Many diverse events are planned in the upcoming weeks by the organizers to help fund the 6th oldest St. Patrick’s Day parade in the nation. If you are looking for an event to warm you up (in more ways than one), gather your friends, Irish or not, and mark your calendars for the following fundraisers.
February 15: THE GREAT GUINNESS TOAST: Raise a glass of Guinness and support the 2013 St. Patrick's Parade at O'Toole's Irish Pub & Restaurant, 204 Orange Street, New Haven (plenty of off street parking). Entertainment provided by “The Strangers.” Guinness specials all night and The Great Guinness Toast at 11 pm. Tickets @ $10 are available at O’Tooles at the door the night of the event or reserve by calling Patrick Smith at 203-494-0640.
February 24: CORNED BEEF DINNER (RESCHEDULED FROM FEB 17 DUE TO WEATHER RELATED CONDITIONS), 1 to 5 pm at the Knights of St. Patrick Club, 1533 State Street, New Haven. Tickets are $12 adults; $5 for children under 12 (hot dogs and chips available). Traditional corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, Irish Bread, tea/coffee and dessert. Tickets available at the door; no advance reservations.
Shop for Irish gifts and imports brought to you by Celtica Specialty Gift Shop. Contact Patricia Nester, 203-239-9956 for additional information.
February 21: REGIONAL SAFETY NIGHT: The Knights of St. Patrick on State Street in New Haven will be the
location for a very special night honoring regional safety officials and first responders. Proceeds from the event will help offset the rising costs for the Greater New Haven St. Patrick's Day Parade. The night will start at 5:30 pm and
include beer/wine and hors d'oeuvres. Suggested donation is $25 pp. Advanced reservations appreciated; contact Bob Shanley at 203-530-7206 or email r.shanley@nicholsonassoc.com.
Tickets available at the door.
February 23: LEPRECHCON 2013 FUN FEST will take place on Saturday, February 23. Registration costs $10 and takes place at Anna Liffey’s Pub, 17 Whitney Avenue at 2 PM. Participants will be provided with one complimentary
beverage, a free buffet, Entry Prize and Best Costume prize. Popular pubs along the downtown route will include Black Bear, Christy’s, G.O.A.T., Kelly’s, O’Toole’s, Russian Lady, and back to Anna Liffey’s for prize give aways. An airplane ticket to Ireland will be awarded to a random participant somewhere along the route and a plane
ticket for Best Dressed Leprechaun at the conclusion of the fun fest. Check out Facebook page for more information.
February 27: KARAOKE HEROES GOES GREEN: A Parade Fundraiser at Karaoke Heroes, 212 Crown Street, Rear, New Haven - $5 door charge and a portion of bar receipts benefit the Greater New Haven St. Patrick’s Day Parade. 8 pm to close. Karaoke Heroes was recently named in SyFy Channel’s 14 Geekiest Bars in the World.
Visit their website www.karaokeheroes.net or for more info, contact Ian Scott Shackleton at ianscott76@gmail.com or call
203-747-5056. Must be 21 with a valid ID.
March 2: ANNUAL GRAND PARADE BALL: This is the premier formal event for the Parade Committee held at
Yale Commons, 168 Grove Street in New Haven.
Honorees include the 2013 Grand Marshal, Joseph Michael Lynch; Jill Marcus, Brian Jooss, and Glenn Conlan -- all who have demonstrated dedicated service to our community. Tickets are $100 per person and include an open bar, buffet and dancing to a live band. Tickets go fast, so contact Anne Hines, Ball Chairperson, at 203-488-4902 or ahsheep@aol.com. Tickets can be ordered via the parade website.
March 8: PRE-PARADE “JUST ONE MORE” BAND CONCERT FOR ALL AGES: All ages show with music presented by the band "Just One More" playing U2 and other Irish favorites. John Joe Mackey, from the NH Gaelic Club and IACC is the lead singer in this band. Doors open at 7 pm at Lily’s Pad at Toad’s Place, 300 York Street, New Haven for the benefit of Gr. New Haven St. Patrick's Day Parade and New Haven Youth Gaelic Sports. $10 door charge. More info available at www.toadsplace.com
March 9: PRE-PARADE PARTY PUB CRAWL: Get your party hats on! DubelsCafé (260 Campbell Avenue)
and Fresco (240 Captain Thomas Blvd.) both of West Haven are hosting a Campbell Ave crawl as a fundraiser to benefit the 2013 St. Patrick’s Day Parade on the day
before the New Haven parade. Registration for the event will take place starting at 3:30 pm at both of these locations. There is a $10 donation fee to participate in the crawl. The first 100 participants will receive a Pub Crawl stadium cup to use along the crawl. The 7 participating bars are Fresco; Savin Rock Roasting Company; Scoreboards; Mike’s Apizza; Kelly’s on Campbell; Duffy’s Tavern; and Dubels Café. These bars will offer drink specials and Mike’s Apizza is donating slices of pizza to pub crawlers. The specials will end by 9 pm and registration will end by 5 pm. Get the party started early this year.
Gather all your friends, Irish or not, and begin celebrating the Saint Patrick’s Day parade a day early!!!! For
additional info, contact events@stpatricksdayparade.org
or visit www.stpatricksdayparade.org
March 10: PARADE DAY: Visit the parade website for up to date information at www.stpatricksdayparade.org. Starting Time is 1:30 pm. Parade route starts at Chapel Street @ Sherman Avenue and proceeds down Church to Grove Streets ending at Orange St marching through downtown New Haven led by Branford resident, Joseph Michael Lynch, the 2013 Grand Marshal.
